


As the World Falls Down

by Dark_Huntress_Moony



Series: As the World Falls Down [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alpha Rick, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Beta Merle, Character Death, Cheating, Claiming, F/M, M/M, Masturbation, Mates, Mpreg, Omega Daryl, Pining, Protective Daryl, Protective Merle, Sexual Fantasy, Zombies are still around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-26
Updated: 2014-10-04
Packaged: 2018-02-18 21:15:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2362406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Huntress_Moony/pseuds/Dark_Huntress_Moony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rick got shot by some juiced up Alpha he thought that was the end of it...until he noticed that there was more blood than there should have been. Next thing he knows is darkness. Daryl was never aloud to go anywhere alone, he knew that, but he didn't trust this new group his brother made them join. He only went on runs with his brother and this particular run was because of the little blue eyed Alpha that had asked him to go and find any trace of his dad. Merle thought he was being stupid but went with his brother anyway...what they discover...well stranger things have happened in the Apocalypse than finding your mate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SilentlyAware21](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=SilentlyAware21).



> This is for a dear reader who kept putting this little idea of a baby that had Rick's hair and Daryl's eyes. Well now it's happening. hope ya'll enjoy
> 
> PS I should never be aloud to listen to David Bowie when writing...because 'As the world falls down' just screamed Rickyl
> 
> ::::EDIT:::: So as I was working on chapter 2 of this I realized that what I want to do is go through the seasons as an ABO. So this one there's going to be implied Rickyl but really no Rickyl (unless you count some solo onesided pining and Rick and Daryl being Rick and Daryl). it's going to be a series so this story is going to cover up until Shane's death at the Greene Farm. ok? Ok on with the show now.

Rick thought getting shot was enough of a shit day...that was until he felt the world spin from the blood loss. He felt the arms of his partner go around him as he fell back into the ground. You would think that two Alpha's couldn't be friends but that wasn't the case with Shane Walsh and Rick Grimes. Everyone knew them as the super-team. They were a stronger team together than when they were apart, though people said it was because Shane was always trying to one up Rick, who was recognized with his amazing level-headedness and calm demeanor which was not apparent in the other Alpha who was always yelling and egging on fights at the bar. Then all Rick knew was darkness, flashes of his life passed in the darkness. He was mated to Lori, a beautiful Beta that had gifted him with a healthy and strong Alpha son that always made Rick puff up with pride. But lately something was wrong, Lori's scent had started changing and Rick was at a loss at what to do. He found himself bored with a Beta, wanting an Omega. He thought his mating to Lori was fate...they had fallen so hard and fast in love when they were younger that it almost makes sense to Rick. He was an Alpha...Betas were nice but the true desire was an Omega. But Omegas were as rare as a unicorn. Lori knew this when she mated with the Alpha, those desires never just went away. They had settled down as Rick grew up but the mating/marriage to Lori was turning into a battleground with her yelling at him that he never spoke to her. It was kinda true. Rick found his dreams filled with finding that Omega who filled that part of himself Lori never could.

Now lying on the ground looking up at the darkening sky he could only think of finding that Omega and teaching his young Alpha son to be a good man. His eyes closed as he slipped into that darkness

~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::

Daryl groaned as he finally stumbled out of his tent and looked to see the group that himself and his brother were now apart of. They weren't all bad people, mostly Betas but with a young Alpha that had yet to pop his knot and an older Alpha who was to busy chasing the skirt of some Beta named Lori to bother with Daryl being an unmated Omega. He felt something smack him in he face and he sputtered as he scrambled to get the offending cloth down and glare at his big brother who was smirking at him.

"Tha fuck's yer problem Merle?" Daryl snapped.

"We're goin scavenging lil brother. So slap your big girl panties on an lets go." the Beta laughed as he walked over to his bike.

Daryl glared and started walking to the jeep he had claimed when he was stopped by a hand on his wrist. He looked down to see the young Alpha, Carl, looking up at him. "What kid?" He asked gruffly.

"I know where you're going...can you...can you look for my dad? Shane says he's dead but I don't...I can't believe it." Carl looked up at him with aquamarine eyes and Daryl sighed knowing he couldn't deny the kid.

"Fine, if we got time...I'll look. Where was he?"

"The hospital. He was on the first floor...room 115 B."

"Room 115 B....got it, now get back ta what ya were doin kid, ain't gonna do ya any good ta hang round me." He muttered shoving the kid gently back to the group. He didn't know why but he had a soft spot for the young Alpha. He slid into the jeep and nodded to his brother who started up his bike with a roar. Daryl felt a small laugh at the shouted curse from the overbearing Alpha as they drove off. He wasn't sure where they were going but Daryl knew he'd follow Merle into hell. Merle was the only one in their family who didnt shun him for being an Omega....even though Merle did constantly make jokes about him being a girl. He couldn't help his biology, and the ability to have children was embarrassing as shit and caused him grief his whole life, but Merle was always there to protect him. He offten wondered if he'd find that Alpha that was supposed to complete him, he knew that there was always an Alpha for an Omega. His mother, when she was around would often come into his room at night and tell him stories of how each Omega was the soulmate to an Alpha, the other half. He would always ask her how he would know and she would just smile at him telling him that he would know.

Lost in thought Daryl nearly ran into Merle as the man stopped his bike and they looked out over the small town. He shut off the jeep and leaned out. "Whatcha thinkin Mer?" Daryl asked.

"Thinkin that we're gonna take yer jeep an head right for the hospital. Should be some good shit there still...looks like this town was hit with the dead first. An looks like there was some military shit goin on here too...could be some awesome shit." Merle said as he made Daryl shove over and get into the drivers side. "What that lil Alpha boy want?" He asked.

"Wanted me ta see if his dad was still alive." Daryl shrugged. "Figured i'd look for him, said his dad was in the hospital...room 115 B."

Merle smirked at him. "Lil young ta be makin orders at an Omega." He teased.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Shut the fuck up Merle. Ain't takin orders, just checkin for the kid. He ain't bad for an Alpha."

"Oh...testy. A'ight I can take a hint, lets jus go an see what we can find eh?" They drove to the hospital being as quiet as possible. They ran into a handful of Walkers on the way but once they were at the hospital the place was as silent as a graveyard. Daryl slid out of the jeep, his crossbow at the ready. "This place smells...just wrong."

Merle snorted. "This whole world smells wrong now lil bro. C'mon." He said as he lead the younger into the hospital. The place looked like it had been through hell and back. Merle had a knife in one hand and his gun in the other as he walked in front of his brother. He may have been a Beta but he was ready to protect his brother no matter what. He always did.They made a quick sweep, gathering what they could from the pharmacy area before moving onto the rooms. They paused in a hallway to see a set of chained doors with the words 'Dead Inside. Don't Open.' painted on the doors. Daryl blinked and sighed.

"I really dont wanna have ta tell that kid his daddy's dead." He muttered scrubbing a hand over his face. They heard a shuffling noise and a groan and whipped around to see someone still in a hospital gown leaning heavily against a wall. Daryl looked to Merle. "What do you think?" He asked

"Thinkin that ain't no walker. Lets check him out and see if hes infected." Merle moved closer to the man, keeping Daryl slightly behind him and his gun ready. "Oi, you bit?" He asked the person.

~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::

Rick woke up, groggy and feeling like his limbs were lead. He looked to see wilted flowers on the bedside table and he noticed that he was in standard hospital garb. He flinched as his shoulder pulled uncomfortably and he looked to see that he was bandaged up. He remembered getting shot and being rushed to the hospital. He looked to the monitors and saw that they were all shut off and that the only light was from the sunlight outside. He slowly got up from the bed and stumbled as he pushed his way into the hall. He looked around, seeing the place had looked like it was used as a set to a horror movie or part of a video game he had caught Carl playing when he was younger. Rick shook his head as he moved down the hall slowly, avoiding fallen ceiling bits and hanging lights. He saw a set of doors and looked to see the corpse of a...woman? maybe? He groaned as the scent of death and just...wrongness hit him. The world smelled like death and there werent even the underlying scents of Alphas or Betas and the occasional and rare Omega. He felt the bile rise in his throat and he turned away when he heard voices. He tried to call out but found that his voice wasn't working and he fell against a wall as his shoulder throbbed. A scent caught his attention, it was of sizzling steaks on the grill and gun oil...all the things that screamed 'home' to Rick. "Lori?" He croaked, but his inner Alpha shook itself. That wasn't Loris scent, she always smelled of Jasmine and woman, this scent was stronger and it called out to his baser instincts. He tried to feel through his bond to Lori if it was her and her scent just changed but he was met with an emptiness. This new scent was calling out to that emptiness and he wanted to follow it, Rick growled softly as he stamped down his instincts, he was still married and had an obligation to Lori.

~~::::~~::::~~:::::~~~::::~~:::::

Daryl staggered behind Merle as he caught the scent of Alpha. It smelled like the woods, of fresh meat cooking on the fire...with an underlying tone of something that was all male and it made his body tremble as he felt the beginnings of the slick in his pants. "Shit." He muttered and gripped Merle's shirt tightly.

Merle glanced over his shoulder. "Whats the matter with ya?" He asked.

"Dunno.." Daryl grumbled. They drew closer to the person against the wall and the scent got stronger. "He's got bandages on his shoulder." Daryl whispered as he kept an eye over his shoulder on the doors behind them.

Merle nodded and kept Daryl behind him. "I asked if ya were bit. I don't like askin twice so ya better not make me ask a third time."

"Bit? N-no...shot. Juiced up Alpha shot me. What day is it? What happened here?" The man croaked.

"Dunno, been a couple of weeks since the world went to shit." Merle said. "What's your name?"

"Rick...Rick Grimes of the King's County Sheriff's Department."

Merle and Daryl looked at each other and they knew that they had found Lori's husband and Carl's father. Merle nodded and took Rick's arm. "Alright Sheriff, let's get ya outta here and find ya some clothes and weapons. We got a long story for you." He grunted as he motioned for Daryl to lead the way out. They got to the jeep, happy to see that there were no walkers around and they were guided to Rick's home. Daryl helped the man out of the jeep and into the house which was thankfully empty. He watched as Rick looked around helpless, they had explained everything on the drive over. The world going to shit, people getting eaten, the dead walking...the Alpha seemed to deflate with every word and it pained Daryl to watch it.

"They arent here." He said softly.

Daryl shook his head. "Maybe now's a good time to tell ya...they're with our group. They're the ones who sent us here...well Shane did."

Rick looked at him with wide blue eyes. "Shane's alive?"

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. So's your boy. Asked me ta look for ya."

Rick laughed softly and ran his fingers through his dishevled hair. "Carl...he's alive he's ok." He let out a long breath, only to be caught up in the scent of the other man. He looked at Daryl. "You an Omega?" He asked, and visably watched the man bristle.

"What of it?" He snapped.

Merle turned to watch his brother and the Alpha.

Rick held up his hands. "No...nothing. I just...I knew an Omega in the department before he got run off by Shane and a few other Alphas. I don't think Omegas cant handle themselves. Ive seen what one will do when threatened." He said. He watched Daryl, the man was beautiful. His short hair was a mess and he had dirt smeared on him but his eyes were the clearest blue Rick had ever seen and the scent rolling off of him in waves was amazing. He felt his heart shudder as the scent lodged itself in his brain. He took a step back and went up the stairs to try to find some clothing. He was confused by the other man, he was mated so why was his Alpha going nuts with the need to mate to the male? He growled to himself as he quickly changed into his uniform and slid his hat into place. He grabbed his weapon that he kept hidden in the closet and a bag, stuffing it with some extra clothing and what little ammunition he kept int he house. He walked down to see Merle talking with Daryl quietly and he cleared his throat. "I um...have the keys to the sheriffs depeartment. If you want we can go and check for more weapons before leaving town. I'm not sure what else will be there."

Merle's face brightened. "Well that's a mighty fine idea Sheriff."

Rick rolled his eyes at the Beta. "I'm a deputy."

"Still a cop." Merle snorted before leading the way out of the house.

Daryl watched Rick before he quickly followed his brother. The more he was around the Alpha the more his inner Omega begged to bare his neck and submit to the other man. But pride kept him from bowing down and he snarled as he got into the jeep.

They made quick work of cleaning out the Sheriff's department before finally leaving the town for their camp.

~~::::~~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::

Carl sat by his mother's feet as she trimmed his hair and talked with the other woman, Carol. He felt an itching wrongness as she touched him, she didn't smell like his dad anymore...but she smelled like Shane and even to him he knew that wasn't right. They had no proof that his dad was dead or that their mating bond had broken. He knew Beta's didn't hold the same rules as Omegas for Alphas but a mating bond with a Beta could be broken only if the Alpha was dead or had found his or her Omega. Carl remembered that from his biology class and he had prayed and prayed that his dad was still alive. Shane said he was dead but something in his scent just made Carl weary to trust the man. He had been his dad's best friend and had picked him up from school when his mom or dad couldnt. The man had always been there for birthdays and Christmas, but lately he'd been looking at his mom as an Alpha would at a mate and that made Carl's inner Alpha growl.

"I hope Daryl and Merle get back soon, we gotta do a supply run to Atlanta." another Beta, Glenn, said as he ran his fingers through his hair before putting on his baseball cap again.

"I'm sure they'll be back." Another Beta, Dale, said. "Those Dixon boys are tough, even with Daryl being an Omega."

"Just because someone's an Omega dosent make them weak." Carl suddenly snapped, earning a sharp tug on his hair from his mother.

"Behave Carl, no one is saying anything bad about Daryl." Lori said, she knew the boy admired the Omega and she was starting to worry if he was coming into his maturity.

"Dale has a point." Shane said as he sat down with the group. "Daryl shouldn't be out there with just his brother. Merle's a Beta and we don't have surpressants. With Daryl being unmated that could spell trouble for us if his heat kicks in."

Carl cut a glare at Shane and folded his arms over his chest. The tell-tail sound of a motorcycle roaring closer to them caused Carl to jump up and race to the edge of camp with Glenn. He saw Merle pull up and turn the bike off with the Jeep coming up behind him. Carl chewed on his lip as he watched in anticipation as Daryl got out of the jeep. It was getting dark and he couldn't tell if there was another person....then the passenger side door opened and he let out an exited cry as he ran forward, even with his mother yelling behind him to come back. "Dad!"


	2. Chapter 2

Rick caught his son as the boy launched himself at the older Alpha. He buried his face into Carl's neck and took in the scent of his son. He felt the tears in his eyes as he made sure to rub his scent into his son, making him like he had every night when he said good night to the boy. It was a habit that he had to ensure no other Alphas would try to hurt his son. "Carl..." He croaked as he hugged him tightly.

Carl calmed as he scent marked his father back, taking in the soothing scent that was his dad. "You're alive...Shane said you were dead....knew you weren't dead." He cried softly into the older man's neck.

Rick fell to his knees, making Carl stand on his feet as he stroked the boy's back. "Shane told you I was dead?" He asked.

"Carl! Don't go runnin-Rick?" Lori stopped dead in her tracks as she felt a cold ball of dread in her stomach.

Rick slowly stood up and walked over, drawing the woman into his arms. He nosed against her neck just like with Carl, pausing when he caught the faint scent of Shane on her skin. "Lori?" He growled softly.

"Later." She said as she pulled away from him.

Shane was behind her and Rick felt a prickly sense of wrongness wash over him. But he ignored it in favor of hugging his old friend. "Thank you....thank you for taking care of my family." He said, a slight growl in his voice at the claim of his family.

"Always promised that I would." Shane muttered, stepping back from the man who he had willingly left behind and started to move in on his family. Shane had always been jealous of Rick. The man was the 'perfect Alpha' with the perfect son. All the women would fawn over him and even criminals would give up if they heard that Deputy Grimes was on their trail. Rick was also calm where Shane was hot-headed. He always pulled Shane's ass out of the fire when Shane ran his mouth. He watched as Carl pulled his dad into the camp and he saw Lori watching him, her eyes a mix of guilt and pity. He growled as he stalked off to take first watch.

Daryl and Merle watched the interaction and Merle laughed as he shoved a box of pills into his brother's hands. "Tha fuck-" Daryl started.

"Heat suppressants. Figured it was gettin ta be that time, so ya know. Didn't need ya ta start smellin, gotta nip it in the bud lil brother."

Daryl nodded as he popped one of he pills dry. "thanks." He muttered.

"Always gonna watch out fo ya. Ain't no way Imma let my brother be some Alpha's bitch." He said giving Daryl a solid thump on his back. Daryl glared as he swatted at him. They moved to the others, but stayed back like always. Daryl noticed that the small group seemed to gravitate to Rick as he began to show them how to work the fire arms he brought with them. He also noticed that Rick let people touch his wife and son without so much as a snarl or sneer. Most Alphas would bristle up if someone even came close to their family, bt Rick let it happen and it made Daryl curious about what kind of man he was.

"Daryl and Merle right?" Rick asked, suddenly appearing before the Omega.

Daryl nearly jumped out of his skin (much to the amusement of Merle) and he scowled at the Alpha. "Yeah?" He growled.

Rick held up his hands. "Nothing, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you did for me today. You could have just left me there and kept telling everyone that I was dead. You had no way of knowing if I was infected or not."

Daryl squirmed and avoided his eyes, not used to anyone thanking him for anything. "Carl-he talked bout ya. He still needed his daddy, kid ain't even a mature Alpha." He muttered keeping his eyes on the ground.

Rick nodded, realizing when he had overstayed his welcome. "Still...thank you." He nodded to Merle and seemed to respect the Omega enough not to touch him. Rick turned on his heel and went back to his family, Daryl's eyes tracing every movement.

"Shit, ya got it bad huh?" Merle laughed. "Ain't ever seen ya look at an Alpha like that."

Daryl glared at his brother and quickly stood up. "'M going to bed. Wake me for my Watch." He muttered as he back tracked to their tent.

Merle sighed as he watched his brother beat a hasty retreat. He looked back to Rick and saw that there was a visible distance between the Alpha and his wife. He knew that the little Beta bitch, who set herself up as queen bee, was sleeping with the other Alpha. The one that claimed that Rick was his best friend, even Merle wouldn't sink so low to move onto another Alpha's territory the way Shane was. He shook his head and sighed as he looked up at the sky, he had always wondered if Daryl was going to find a mate to take his little brother out of the hell that was their life. Their mother died when Daryl was young and she had been a soft spoke and abused Omega with a beautiful soul that was crushed by their brute of an Alpha father. He abused both of the boys, often beating Merle more than Daryl because Merle refused to let him hurt his little brother. He turned his eyes back to Rick and snorted, it seemed that the man was triggering Daryl's heat. Merle had noticed back in the town and had decided to snag the suppressants to help his brother. _Strange shit can happen in the Apocalypse, the dead start walkin and Daryl finds his mate_. Merle mused to himself before he retired to his tent.

Rick watched as Daryl and Merle seemed to call it a night and the others started to do the same. Carl had gone to the tent to sleep a while ago and now Rick had the opportunity to talk to Lori. "Lori." He said softly. "Have you been sleeping with Shane?" He asked. Lori looked at him, the guilt in her face apparent.

"I thought you were dead."

"The bond..."

"Rick I was to busy trying to make sure that Carl was safe, and then Shane was there telling me you were dead. I got Carl out of there and Shane was just there. He took care of us." She said, bristling in her own defense.

Rick sighed and shook his head. It would do no good to argue with her, she would never understand the bond. Beta's didn't understand the need for the bond, most didn't even go through with it and just did simple weddings for their Alphas. But Lori had opted to go through the mating as well...and she used to care, but now...Rick's eyes turned back to Daryl's tent where he knew the amazing scent he had caught earlier was just behind the fabric and he wanted nothing more than to go over there and bury his face into said scent. He turned his eyes back to Lori. "Alright." He said softly as he got up and went to where his son slept. He crawled into the tent and laid his hand on Carl's head, watching as the boy leaned into the touch even in his sleep. He knew that their relationship would be strained soon enough, when Carl hit maturity. But right now he was still Rick's little boy. "I love you Carl...I'm not gonna let anything take you from me. I'm gonna protect you." He whispered softly laying down beside his son and going slipping into sleep, his mind filled with a certain blue eyed Omega.

~~::::~~:::::~~~::::~~::::~~~~::::::~~~~:::::

The next morning involved Rick woke up with a small groan and a half popped knot. Carl was already out of the tent and he could hear the boy talking with Daryl. Rick looked up at the ceiling of the tent, he knew he couldn't walk out with a raging hard on, because he knew as soon as he caught sight or scent of Daryl he would pounce. The man rolled over and saw Lori still asleep, her back to him and the long graceful curve of her neck showing. He slid over to press against her back. He felt her shift as his lips traveled over her neck, and he heard her soft moan. She rolled over into his arms and bore her neck to him even more. He traced the delicate line with his lips as his hands quickly worked to rid them of their clothing. He knew this wasn't right, using her when his mind was on the blue eyed Omega just a few feet away, but he was married and mated with a child. He figured that if he fixed their bond then the need for the Omega would go away. Rick slid into Lori with a soft groan, his lips covering hers to muffle the sounds that she was making as her nails made small marks on his back and shoulders.He growled as his nose nudged her neck and his fingers came up to cover her mouth. She nipped his fingers softly and arched into him as she had a thousand times before. Rick could smell Shane on her still, but he didn't feel the possessive flare fire up and he simply snapped his hips, as he neared completion a face flashed behind his closed eyes and he saw only hard lines and sky blue eyes. He let out a snarl as he buried himself into Lori, letting his knot finally lock them together. He felt her reach her own orgasm and he was thankful that he at least didn't have to deal with the guilt of not getting her off too. He nuzzled into her neck and kissed the spot softly where the mating gland would be and he sighed. "I'm sorry Lori."

She looked up at him and smiled softly, there was still some guilt in her eyes. "It's ok Rick...Last night was a shock for all of us. This place...it's the first sanctuary we've seen in weeks. Everyone watches out for everyone here, when we saw that Atlanta was gone...it was just devastating."

He nodded as if he understood, but he didn't. She should have known through what little bond that they had that he was still alive...instead of falling into bed with his best friend. He kissed her softly as his knot slowly deflated and he as able to separate them without hurting her. He still felt the stinging absence of their bond and they slowly got dressed. Once out of the tent she moved to where Carol and Andrea were talking and gathering laundry to go and do some cleaning down at the river and Rick moved to where he saw the men leaning over a map and talking about where to hit for their supply run for the day. Glenn looked up as Rick approached and he smiled.

"Morning Mr. Grimes." He said brightly.

Rick couldn't help but smile back. "Just call me Rick, we're all going to survive together so you may as well call me Rick."

Glenn nodded. "Rick. So we were thinking about hitting this area here in down town Atlanta." Glenn said as he pointed at the map. "I know the area like the back of my hand, lots of pizza deliveries down there ya know?"

Rick looked over the map. "What about trying for Georgia State University?" He asked. "We could try to see if there's still anything in the dorms."

Merle shook his head. "We don't wanna be goin there, to many of the damned Walkers runnin round." The redneck said as he tapped his finger against the spot where Glenn had pointed to. "Down here...we're gonna find some good shit, know a couple of these places, bound to be something."

Shane cut a glare at him. "Yeah and someone with your rap sheet would know."

Merle smirked. "Ain't heard you complain when I came back with all that medication." He shot back.

Rick slapped his hand on the car. "Enough, We're going to go around downtown Atlanta, see what we can find." He looked around the group. "Alright, we're going to take a small group into town. Shane's gonna stay here, I'll go with Glenn, Merle, T-Dog, Daryl, and maybe two others."

"We should take Andrea and Jacqui. Both are good at moving silently and we could cover more ground by going in groups of two. Someone to always watch the others back." T-dog said.

Rick nodded. "Alright. We have a plan then."

"and who says you get to decide the plan?" Shane challenged.

Rick rolled his eyes. "Shane now is not the time for one of your 'Who's got the bigger knot' dominance battles. I trust you here with the camp, you were one of the best shots on the force and if anyone can protect the people here it's you." He said, his voice clearly stating that he was top dog.

Shane backed down with a growl and he stalked off to the other side of the camp. Carl watched as Shane walked over to his mom and he went to his dad. "Dad?"

Rick smiled down at him and ruffled his hair. "Hey Carl."

"You're leaving?"

"Im going on a supply run. Gotta show everyone that I can be an active member of the group." He said with a smile. He saw the worry in Carl's eyes. "Hey, I'm not gonna disappear on you son. I'll be back." He promised. He smiled as he pulled off his hat and looked at it for a minute before placing it on Carl's head. "Perfect." He said with a nod.

Carl pulled the hat off and looked at it before looking up at his dad, the question clear in his eyes.

"I need someone to keep Shane in line. I know you are a good man Carl. You're going to be a good Alpha." He praised ruffling the boy's hair again as the boy smiled and ran off.

Before Carl left he looked at Daryl. "Keep my dad safe." He said, his voice trying to be as Alpha as it could be.

Daryl snorted and waved the kid off. "Sure kid. Now run along."

Rick laughed softly and offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."

Daryl shrugged when on the inside he melted at that smile. "Alright let's get going."

Rick nodded as he moved to his wife and kissed her cheek before grabbing some weapons and piling into a car with Glenn and T-Dog. Shane watched them go before he moved to Lori and took her arm gently. He caught the scent of Rick still fresh on her and he had to bite back a growl. "You were with him."

"Hes my husband Shane." She said softly as her eyes traveled to Carl who was talking with Sophia and Carol. "we slept in the same tent."

"and you fucked."

"Again, he's my husband. It's what you do as a married couple." She looked at him, the guilt and pity back in her eyes. "I'm sorry Shane. I never would have....not if I had known he was still alive." She pulled her arm out of his grip and walked to Carl and the others to go do laundry.

Shane snarled as he punched a tree, making Dale and Jim jump at the aggression. He glared as he grabbed his weapon and went around the outside of the camp before standing to look down on the women and children in the creek. Dale sighed as he shook his head. "I know having multiple Alpha's in the group is going to be trouble...but we can't separate a family." He said looking at Jim, the older Beta had a weary look in his eyes.

Jim nodded. "Alphas always spell trouble. But there's something about Rick...he's not like other Alphas I've been around."

Dale nodded. "Guess we will have to wait and see."

~~::::~~~::::~~::::~~~:::~~::::~~~:::~~:::::

The trip to Atlanta went south fast, turning one wrong corner turned out to be a really bad idea. the small group found themselves locked inside a department store, thankfully the thick glass and the metal gate was still up. Rick had asked T-Dog and Glenn to check the sewer entrance in the loading dock to see if they could sneak out under the herd of Walkers at their gates. He paced as he raked his fingers through his hair. "Where are they?" He muttered.

Andrea watched him, a cadged Alpha was never a good thing, even one with the control that Rick seemed to have. "They'll be back. it's only been a few minutes." she said softly.

Jacqui stuck her head through the door. "The doors still holding up ok, but I don't know how much longer it can, they are piling up against it and that metal is flimsy at best, it's not meant to withstand a lot of pressure."

Rick nodded. "Alright Jacqui, just keep an eye on it, if it busts you Merle and Daryl all run back in here and we will barricade the door."

She nodded before disappearing into the main store again. The door to the sewers opened and T-Dog and Glenn ran in and slammed the door behind them before pulling something in front of it. Rick watched them and sighed.

"I don't like the looks of that."

"couplea walkers down there." Glenn panted as he doubled over. "No way out down there either, iron bars."

Rick cursed and he went into the other room where Jacqui, Daryl, and Merle all had their guns pointed onto the walkers. "Glenn and T-Dog are back."

"they find a way out?" Jacqui asked.

Rick shook his head. "No. Im gonna head up to the roof and figure out what we can do." He said.

"I'll come too." Daryl nodded at Merle before following the male. Glenn met them on the stairs and they looked down at the street from where they were, Daryl leaning on the edge of the building. "So, Sheriff, got a plan?" He asked.

Rick looked down at the mass of undead before them. "We know that they are drawn to sound...but they don't try to take chunks out of each other....why?"

"Scent." Daryl said suddenly. "It's kinda like how an Alpha can tell an Alpha from a Beta."

Rick blinked at him before a wide grin crossed his face. "You are brilliant! Alright let's go and wrangle one of those walkers and try to get the cars to pull them to the loading docks so we can get the hell out of here." He looked and saw a construction site a few blocks over. "If we can get over there we can cause a big enough distraction to draw them away so that the others can get to the cars and we can get outta here." They walked down the stairs and gathered everyone into the loading dock. Rick explained the plan and everyone put on gloves, masks and long coats. With Merle and Daryl at the door he nodded for them to open it and Rick looked around the corner. "Alright I got two Walkers. Daryl take one out with an arrow and then we'll grab the other one before they even notice."

Daryl nodded and brought up his bow, taking careful aim before firing an arrow. Rick and T-Dog darted out and got the other one before it could even turn around. The dragged the things in and slammed the door shut. They looked down at the dead man and Rick sighs as he raises his ax to start chopping away, only to stop several times. He sighed as he reached down to root through the mans pants for something before pulling out a wallet. "Wayne Dunlap." He said softly. "He's got a picture of a pretty girl in his wallet."

Glenn looked over his shoulder. "Says he's an organ donor." He tried helpfully.

Merle snorted as he moved to the door and looked out into the store. "Well that's mighty fine, but what we gonna do with him?"

Rick took a deep breath before he swung his ax and the sickening sound of crunching bones and the scent of rotting meat made everyone gag. "Glenn and I are gonna cover ourselves with this shit and then we are gonna go out there and distract them. There's a construction site a few blocks over, if we can get over there we can make some noise and ya'll can get to the cars. We'll meet back at the camp." He said as he reached into the Walker and began to smear the guts all over him. His sensitive nose catching the scent of dead flesh and pure _wrongness_ and he choked back the bile. "Ugh...that's horrible." He said.

"Just think bout something else." Daryl muttered, feeling for the Alpha as he covered his own nose and mouth. "Like puppies and kittens."

"Dead puppies and Kittens." T-Dog muttered making Glenn finally lose it and throw up.

Merle chuckled and shook his head as he helped smear the two in Walker guts.

~~::::~~~:::::~~~:::::~~~::::::~~~::::~~~::::

Back at the camp Andrea's sister, Amy, paced back and forth wringing her hands. "where are they? They should be back by now." She asked.

Dale and Jim looked up from the RV and Dale sighed. "They'll be back Amy. You gotta have faith." The old Beta said as he rubbed his brow. The sound of a car siren drew their attention and they saw a bright red Doge drive up, alarm blaring as Glenn stopped the car. he hopped out and Shane ran over with a growl.

"Shut that shit off!" He snarled.

"I-um...."

Shane glared as he shoved the Beta out of the way and dove into the car to rip the wiring. The car fell silent and he rounded on Glenn intending to rip him a new one when other cars pulled up. Shane watched as Rick got out of the car with Merle and Daryl, looking the conquering hero as he held up a bag. He stepped back as he saw Carl run to his father and the other people start to crowd around them.

Carl stopped short of his father and covered his nose with both hands. "Jeez dad! you stink!" He exclaimed.

Rick chuckled and tossed a bag to Jim. "Had a bit of a run in with Walkers, figured out if ya cover yourself with their guts you can move through them practically undetected."

"Unless a cloudburst washes it all off." Glenn piped in as he helped unload the bags.

Carol looked at him and shook her head. "you are filthy. Go on down to the creek and wash up." She said banishing them away with a wave of her hand.

Rick laughed as he nodded, refraining from touching anyone until he was clean. He walked with Glenn down to the creek and stripped out of the soiled clothing before wading into the cold water. "Shit that's fuckin cold." He growled as he gave a full bodied shiver. He heard a laugh and looked to see Daryl walking down with a bag. Rick had the sudden urge to make himself decent and felt the blush creep over his cheeks and down his neck.

"Carol...figured you might need some clothes. Got these ones for ya so she can wash those." He said holding up a bag.

Glenn surfaced from where he had ducked under the water to clean his face and neck before he quickly darted out and grabbed the bag. He rooted through a couple things before dragging out jeans and a T-shirt. He gave them a smile before he walked back up to the camp, leaving the Alpha and Omega to stare at each other.

Daryl's eyes traced over Rick's skin, everything from the hard lines of his chest, down the trail of hair that lead to what lay beneath the water. Daryl could feel his arousal start up again, the slick forming  from his entrance and he had to bite back the moan as the wind picked up and brought the scent of the Alpha and before Daryl could even think he was wading into the water to stand before him.

Rick looked down at the Omega and he kept his hands at his sides, his fists clenched. The same scent from before hit him like a freight train and he had to stop himself from reaching out for the Omega. The cold water seemed to warm up as the two stared at each other, until a sharp whistle seemed to break the spell. Daryl jumped back from Rick and quickly got out of the water. Rick was shocked to see how quickly the other man could run and he sank into the water a bit more to try to cool his head. Rick's cock throbbed with need and he reached down to squeeze the beginning swell of his knot, trying to will it to go away. But Daryl's scent was still in his head and he sighed, knowing he wasn't going to be able to walk back with a half cocked erection. Rick slowly began to jack himself, his eyes closing as his mind drifted onto the scent of Daryl, it was heady and strong, like a nice whiskey. He moaned as his mind supplied what being with Daryl would be like. He could tell that it would be a struggle, Daryl would fight him tooth and nail, making Rick work for his submission. Rick moaned again as he sped up his hand. He could see Daryl pushing him down and straddling him, Rick's cock dragging through the slick in the cleft of the Omega's ass before Daryl would sink ever so slowly down his cock making Rick strain and arch into him. Their coupling would be hard and fast, a constant battle for dominance, Daryl would only submit once Rick had knotted him. And that thought thrilled him more than Lori being a virgin on their wedding night. He growled as he felt his knot swell and he came hard and fast, his fist around his knot as he tried to simulate what it would be like to be buried into his Omega. "Daryl...." He growled out softly.

~~:::~~::::~~::::~~:::~~:~~:::

Daryl watched from the cover of the trees as Rick fucked into his own fist and he felt the slick drip down his ass. Daryl wanted nothing more than to walk over and join in on the fun, but he had to watch for Walkers. He caught a slight sound from the man, and he heard him growl his name. The sound of Rick saying his name like that was a lance of pure hot arousal through him and he quickly patted down his pockets looking for his suppressants. He popped a pill and quickly turned to do a little bit of hunting, keeping his ears out for the Alpha and any signs of trouble. He caught a couple of rabbits and a few squirrels and he walked back to the creek seeing that Rick was out of the water and getting dressed.

Rick smelled Daryl before he saw him and he turned with a small smile. "Hey Daryl." He looked to see the spoils of his hunt hanging from a line while the Omega had his crossbow over his shoulder. "Good catches?"

Daryl blinked as the man tried to make conversation with him. When he first went hunting Shane acted as if Daryl couldn't hunt, like he was a weak Omega. "Um...yeah. Couple'a rabbits and a few squirrels, not ta best eats but ain't so bad." He shrugged.

Rick nodded as he shrugged on the flannel shirt. "Better at huntin than me I bet. Could never really get the hang of it. Disappointed the shit outta my old man. He was one of those Alphas that believed an Alpha should be able to hunt and all that. Provide for his family ya know?" Rick shook his head. "Kinda wish I took his lessons to heart."

Daryl watched Rick for a moment before his mouth started to move with the offer before his brain caught up with his mouth. "I could teach you-" The smile Rick gave him made his insides go liquid and he had to stop himself from baring his neck.

"I'd like that Daryl. For now lets get these back to camp." He nodded, not offering to take the weapon or the kills from the Omega but turning his back and walking back to camp.

Daryl was stunned before he quickly followed after the Alpha. Rick Grimes was truly a mystery to him and he found himself wanting to know more about him both as a man and as an Alpha.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm just going to change when Rick finds out about Shane and Lori because with him being an Alpha he could tell in the change of scent and I really just don't want to stick Rick and Lori together longer than I have to.

The camp was lost...people were dead. Good people...and Rick felt like it was his fault. It had been his plan to have Glenn drive that car, his plan to use noise to attract the walkers, and he wasn't there to protect them. Ed was killed, though that wasn't much of a loss for anyone, and so was Amy. The sweet hearted Beta who tried to see the good in everything. Rick had watched helpless as the strong and determined woman that was her sister, broke down, clutching at her sisters corpse. Jim had also been bit...they decided to go to the CDC, hoping and praying that someone was there to help them. Of course Shane argued, saying that Fort Benning, nearly 100 miles in the opposite direction was better, but Rick shot that down quickly. The group had agreed with him, the CDC was a better idea. Rick noticed that Shane kept his eyes trained on Lori and Carl and he started to wonder if maybe his old friend had changed so much that Rick was beginning to realize that they just...couldn't work together anymore. It also didn't help that the Omega in the group was still all over his mind and in his dreams. He found his eyes tracking Daryl's movements through the camp, he wondered about him when he went out of sight, he also noticed that he never strayed to far from Merle.

They had arrived at the CDC....and bodies were everywhere. Rick felt his hope dying as they side stepped corpses, everyones guns trained and even Daryl walking backwards, his back to Rick, subconsciously watching out for the Alpha. It would have warmed Rick's heart, until he saw the closed doors of the CDC. "No...no!" He yelled as he slapped his hand on the metal door.

"Walkers!" Andrea yelled, as she noticed some of the walkers getting up from the ground and more stumbling to them.

"Told you this was a waste of time!" Shane snapped at the other. "We gotta get the fuck out of here." He reached and took Lori by the arm.

Rick noticed the camera move and he stopped looking up at it. "Hey! Hey open the doors! We have children!" He begged the camera.

"Rick!" Lori said. "We need to go!"

"No someone's there! I saw the camera move." He said pointing up at it.

Shane snarled as he stormed over. "Don't be fucking stupid, it's probably automated. We have to go now!" He growled.

A few shots were fired off and Rick heard Sophia scream, he looked to see the young girl bury her face into her mother's chest and Carol looking at him with large eyes. He pushed Shane back. "there's someone here Shane!" He snarled as he slapped his hand on the door again. "Open the fucking door!" He screamed at the camera.

"Dad?" Carl looked at him, his mother's arms across his chest.

Rick felt helpless as he looked at Daryl, the Omega watched him and simply...waited. Before Rick could think of something the doors opened. "Inside!" He yelled holding his gun up as he pushed Lori and Carl inside, he watched as everyone filed in, Shane glared as he ran past, and Merle and Daryl bringing up the rear. He ran in after them, noticing the small bit of relief in the Omega's eyes. Rick doubled over as he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He bristled up as he smelled another Alpha, one he didn't know and his hands automatically shot out to bring Daryl and Carl slightly behind him. Daryl gave a huff but stayed silent and Rick looked up to see a man walking to them.

"Are any of you bit?" the man asked.

"No." Rick and Shane both said, the latter turning to glower at the former.

"Two Alphas? In a group of Betas...not something you see every day. Even in these times. Before I let you in I need a blood sample, to check for infection. you won't move from this spot and if you are infected then you will be out that door once more."

"Who are you?" Rick asked.

"I am Dr. Jenner, and I am the last of the CDC."

~~~:::::~~~:::::~~~::::~~~::::~~~:::::

Lori sat next to Carol, watching as Rick moved restlessly around the group, talking with some, but his eyes always straying to where Daryl and Merle were crouched down and talking with Carl, Daryl showing Carl something. Lori felt the small sting of jealousy as she watched Rick move to them and talk with them quietly. She had heard Rick talking in his sleep the night before, whispering and panting Daryl's name, and the way the Alpha had drawn, not her, but Daryl behind him when the unfamiliar Alpha walked up. She heard Carol next to her sigh and she looked over at the other woman who was gently stroking her daughters hair. "What?"

"You need to calm down. Remember Alpha's react to those around them and your scent is starting to give off the pheromones that would send an Alpha into a frenzy, and while Rick seems able to control himself I don't know if Shane would or if this new Alpha will." She said softly.

Lori glared at her. "I have every right to be upset with Rick-"

"He is taking care of the group, you are just jealous that there is an unmated Omega. You knew that going into a marriage to him." Carol said simply. "Alphas are always drawn to Omegas, no matter what."

"Shane isn't."

"Then maybe you should go back into his arms hm? Instead of causing pain on a bond that is slowly forming even if you don't want it to."

Lori growled at her as she got up and stalked over to a spot to think. Was she jealous? Rick was her husband...but she had already broken their bond by sleeping with Shane...she felt the guilt again. She looked over to where Rick was smiling at something that Carl was proudly showing him, Merle and Daryl rolling their eyes, the Beta brother smirking but the Omega was looking at Rick and Carl with a hint of longing in his eyes. Lori thought back to when she was getting ready for her wedding and her grandmother told her something about Alphas and Omegas.

_"Alphas, my sweet Lori are that small percent of men who have a little something extra. Blessed by god they are. Your grandfather, rest his heart, was an Alpha and a great one at that. Fought in the war, served his country, but while over seas he found something." She had said._

_"What was that grandma?"_

_"He found his Omega. Every Alpha has an Omega to compliment them. He brought the sweet boy home and our bond was broken. But I was more than happy to watch your grandfather find that other half of himself. Alphas are only half of a soul. My grandmother told me that they are soulmates. The red thread binds them together, but unfortunatly many Alphas don't find that Omega that compliments them. Remember this my sweet Lori, Rick is an Alpha and if he finds that Omega you need to step down, bow out gracefully like the woman you are and let him be happy."_

_"But what about my happiness?"_

_"Don't be selfish Lori, there are plenty of men in the world, but there aren't enough Omegas."_

Those words rang in Lori's ears that day, even now they haunt her. She saw that Rick had been gravitating to Daryl and Daryl doing the same, but she couldn't let him go. He was **her** husband and Carl's father. She glared at Daryl, deciding that Rick was hers.

There was a sound and the man who introduced himself as Jenner walked back out. "You're all clear to come in. I have food, there's warm beds, and even hot water for showers."

"Well fuck me and call it Deliverance." Merle laughed making Daryl punch his arm. "What? Tell me it's not true! We ain't had a hot shower in weeks."

"And some of you need it more than others." Daryl smirked at his brother avoiding the punch to hide behind Rick.

Rick rolled his eyes. "alright, alright that's enough." He said shaking his head before he turned to Jenner. "Thank you."

Jenner looked around. "Once those doors close...they won't open again. I can't risk opening them again." He said softly.

Rick didn't like the idea of being cadged with an Alpha he didnt know but he looked around the rag-tag group. Everyone watched him with tired and haggered eyes, he saw the fear that haunted his son's gaze and he sighed, his eyes seeking out Daryl's who gave him the slightest nod to let Rick know he understood. Rick looked at Jenner and nodded. "Alright."

Jenner motioned them for them to follow him. Rick followed at a respectful pace and listened as Jenner explained the building to them. Rick watched as everyone went into rooms, claiming them. He saw Daryl and Merle take a room a few doors down from the one that Lori and Carl had claimed and for some reason he felt torn, wanting to go with Daryl but out of obligation needing to be with Lori. He sighed as he went into the room with his family and dropped his bag.

"Carl, why dont you go on and go find the showers with the others. I need to talk to your dad." Lori said suddenly.

Carl gave a funny look between them before nodding and walking out of the room. Rick sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair. "What Lori?"

"I want you to keep our son away from the Dixons. They aren't good people." She said folding her arms over her chest.

Rick rounded on her. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me Rick."

"I was just hoping i hadn't. What is this about?"

"Merle's a criminal first off and we know nothing of Daryl."

"That was before all of this." He said waving his hand. "Sure Merle's a racist asshole but he's good for a laugh and Daryl...Daryl's teaching him things I couldn't. You know I'm not a hunter, I have no idea how to field dress a dear or skin a rabbit. Daryl also knows his foliage and what's good to eat and what's not." He glared at her. "This has nothing to do with them does it."

She flushed angrily. "Of course it does! Like I said they're criminals!"

"No it's because Daryl is an Omega." Rick said coldly. "You are threatened by him because you know that he's the only person I'd leave you for."

The color drained out of her face. "N-no."

"that's exactly what it is Lori. You know that the only thing that can break a mating bond is finding the Omega that belongs with the Alpha. But you know what Lori? I've never been driven by my instinct. I have always tried to be a good man, fair and honest to all, trying to teach our son that being a person comes first over being an Alpha. I remember when that Omega got ran out of the department, he was a damned fine cop. A good shot with great scores and reviews, but everyone didn't give him a chance because he was just that. He was an Omega and that's all people saw. I remember what you said about him too, you told me it was for the best because an Omega didn't belong in uniform."

"He would have distracted-"

"No one. He was on his suppressants. You just think like everyone else, that an Omega should be at home and baring pups. I happen to think that Omegas can be just as strong as Alphas, and Daryl is no exception. The man is a damned fine hunter and if he can teach Carl something I can't then Im going to let him." He growled, his voice slipping into the standard Alpha voice. "And you know what Lori you have no right to tell me who I can and can't speak to. Because if I was half the Alpha my father was I would punish you for willingly jumping into an Alpha's bed while we are still bonded."

"But Shane-"

"Is an Alpha, what do you expect Lori? Alphas will always say other Alphas are weak or dead. If it means being top dog that's how it goes. I may be friends with the man and can understand the need for that nature, but what's your excuse? How long did you wait for he news of my 'death' to settle in before you jumped into his bed?"

Lori snarled as she slapped Rick across the face, her hands shaking in anger. "Don't you dare."

Rick chuckled. "You know what Lori...If you are so jealous then maybe you have the right to be. But Daryl is someone I just met, I have no idea if he's my Omega or not, if it turns out to be true and he dosent want me I will suffer through that, but if he does...well there's not a whole lot you can do, it is after all...in our biology."

Lori glared at him. "Get out. get the fuck out." She yelled at him.

Rick turned on his heel and stormed out the door, smacking right into Daryl. He yelped and jumped back. "Shit Daryl....I'm sorry."

"Ya alright? I was just headin over to grab ya, Jenner's got some food and figured ya might be hungry." He looked back at the door as it opened and Lori glared at him before storming past. "Shit...what's the queen bee's deal?" He asked. "Felt like she wanted ta slap me, and I ain't done nothin yet."

Rick sighed and scrubbed a hand across his face as he leaned back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest. "It's not you...she's pissed off at me."

Daryl arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Whatcha do?"

"Funny thing is I didnt do anything." He said with a humorless laugh. "Shit You may as well know, she told me to keep Carl away from you and Merle."

Daryl blinked. "Tha fuck? I can understand Merle, guys a right fuckin ass, but I ain't done shit ta yer kid. Sept teach 'im tha shit ya couldn't."

Rick chuckled softly. "Yeah...I know. I tried to tell her that. The problem is your an Omega, she hates me being around Omegas."

Daryl's face flushed in anger. "Why that-"

"I told her to back off. Called her out on her sleepin with Shane and breaking the bond in the first place. Technically I'm a free Alpha now...but I have my morals. I respect people, no matter what their biology is. You may be an Omega but you're Daryl first and Daryl is a strong sombitch who is freaky accurate with a crossbow."

Daryl felt the blush creep in on his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, I know most Alphas jus look ta us Omega's as bitches ta breed an keep, Merle's beat mo' dan his fair share o' asses ta keep me safe." He shook his head. "Hell half the time he was in jail was cuz that. Some fucker would try ta get his knot in me and Merle would come and beat his ass." He chuckled and sighed. "I hated bein an Omega growin up, my dad...he hated having an Omega son. He was a mean ass old Beta. Tried ta kill me on more than one occasion. Reason why I'm so good at trackin and campin is cuz when Merle had ta go away I'd run from home, hide out in tha woods...that is if my old man wasn't on a bender."

Rick blinked at him. "I'm sorry."

Daryl snorted. "I ain't taught me how to survive. That I didn't need nobody like everyone always said I would. I didn't need no Alpha ta take care o me."

Rick nodded. "I gave up hope finding an Omega, instead I married Lori when we were young, fresh out of high school, I thought she'd be it for life ya know? I knew every Omega in my town and never had any sort of reaction to them. Then the years kept going by and Lori finally got pregnant with Carl and I just forgot about wanting an Omega. course I wanted one, the old ladies at Church were always sayin how Omegas and Alphas were two halves of the same soul and when I was a young man I always wondered about it. I never actively sought out an Omega, or chased one. My father always said that I would know, the scent the Omega gave off would be everything that made it feel like home." he sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face again.

"And now?" Daryl asked softly, scuffing his boots on the floor.

Rick opened his mouth and snapped it shut again when he saw Merle round the corner. "There ya are! Food's ready." He said, he gave an odd look between the Alpha and the Omega. "Need me ta come back?" He asked with a smirk.

"shut up Merle." Daryl growled as he stormed past Rick, silently thanking his brother for the distraction. He was half scared of Rick's answer and he wanted to get away and just get something to eat, take a shower, and go to bed.

Rick watched as Daryl walked away. The scent of the Omega lingering around him and he sighed as he followed Merle back to where everyone was waiting on them to eat.

~~:::::~~~::::::~~~::::::~~~:::::~~~::::

Dinner was fun for everyone, drinks were had, stories were swapped, and everyone laughed....except for Lori. She was glaring daggers at anyone who dared to say something to her. Rick ignored her for the most part, barely answering his son when Carl asked him what was wrong with his mother. He knew he'd have to talk to her, but he was more interested in drinking with everyone and just forgetting the world was a hellhole outside of the CDC for a little while. His eyes kept traveling to Daryl, but the man avoided his eyes and stuck close to Merle the entire night. Rick was miserable, his wife pissed off at him and the Omega that he knew his 'red string of fate' was tied to. That night, Rick couldn't sleep. He had opted to bunk with Dale, the man didn't mind only gave him a sad smile and gave him the other bed. He wondered the halls and followed the smell of unknown Alpha. He found Jenner sitting at a computer and he tapped on a table to let the other Alpha know about his presence. Jenner turned around and regarded him with tired eyes. "Ah. Rick, was wondering when you were going to show up."

"You were expecting me?"

"Not particularly. I figured that either you or that other Alpha would seek me out about answers. And with the other one...well he's not exactly the most stable Alpha I know. I think it might have something to do with that Beta...Lori right? You're wife?"

Rick sighed. "Yeah, something like that." He shook his head. "So...thank you again, for allowing us to be in here."

Jenner waved him off. "go to bed Rick, you're going to want that sleep come morning. All your questions will be answered tomorrow."

Rick nodded. "I can live with that. Good night Dr. Jenner."

"Good night Rick." He said as he watched the drunken Alpha leave.

The next morning everyone sat around the same table, only this time they were all hung over, with the exception of Merle and Daryl, who were tormenting everyone while T-Dog made eggs. Rick groaned as he dropped down into a chair and Lori slid over some aspirin to him. "From Jenner." He sighed as he took it, at least she was speaking to him. He saw Shane make a beeline for the coffee and he smirked.

"You feel as bad as I do?" He asked.

"Worse." The other Alpha said, practically dipping his nose into the coffee.

T-Dog saw the scratches on his face and let out a low whistle. "Shit, thats some scratch."

"Musta caught myself in my sleep." The Alpha growled.

Jenner chose that moment to come in and he motioned for everyone to follow him into the main room. "I promised you all answers." He said simply. Rick quickly got up and followed the man, the group close behind him. Jenner showed them logs and videos of something called 'TS-19' and Rick watched in horror as the brain died and slowly came back before a flash of light ended it all. "and that's everything. I've been in the dark for months." He admited.

Andrea looked at him. "So you're saying there's nothing left?"

Jenner stayed silent and everyone took that as confirmation. Rick caught sight of something and turned to see some kind of countdown on the wall. "What is that?"

"That is the countdown for how much fuel is left in the generators in the basement."

"When the countdown reaches zero, plant-wide detonation will occur keeping subjects within the building from getting out." the VI explained.

Rick went stiff. "Lori take the kids and the others to the rooms. We're going to go check the generators." He grabbed Shane, Glenn, T-Dog, Merle, and Daryl and went down to check the generators. While looking, the room they were in went dark. The small group ran back up to find the panicked survivors with Jenner in the control room once again. Rick felt his arms filled with young and terrified Alpha as Carl looked up at him. "Everyone gather your things, we're leaving." He pushed Carl to go get his things when the doors slammed shut. He rounded on Jenner and felt his heckles raise.

"When the doors shut, I'm not opening them again." Jenner said calmly.

"You will let us out." Rick snarled.

"I can't, even if I wanted to. Don't worry...the end will be quick." He said as he explained how the building would be destroyed. "It will be instantaneous, you will still be with your family."

"You son of a bitch!" Daryl screamed as he launched himself at Jenner.

Rick ran forward and grabbed the Omega yanking him off the Alpha. "Daryl calm down!"

Lori looked at Jenner, her arms around a sobbing Carl. "Please...we want to continue on. We want to live." She begged him.

Jenner looked at her sadly, his eyes traveling to a picture by his computer. He looked at the smiling woman and sighed. He hit a button and motioned for them to leave. "You can try...but you aren't going to get far. The upper level is still locked."

"We will find a way." Rick said as he nodded at Shane who started leading everyone out of the room. "Thank you...I'm greatful for everything youve done."

Jenner sighed. "You won't be." He leaned forward to whisper something into Rick's ear.

Rick's eyes went wide and turned to see Jacqui watching him. "Let's go."

Jacqui shook her head. "I can't fight anymore. It was nice meeting you Rick, you go and take care of your family."

Rick looked to see Andrea staying behind too. "Andrea?"

"I have nothing left-"

Dale stepped in front of her. "If you stay...so am I."

She glared at him. "You dont-no...Dale you go!"

"Amy wouldn't want this..."

"Rick come on!" Daryl yelled.

Rick turned in a daze and ran after the Omega, following on scent alone. The rest of what happened in a blur, Carol finding the grenade he had found in the scavenge in Atlanta and they blew out one of the windows. He watched as everyone piled outside, shooting Walkers as they ran for the cars. Rick was thrown into the jeep with Daryl, Merle starting up his bike with a roar, and Rick saw Dale and Andrea running to them and the building behind them exploding as the two Betas took cover. Rick watched the building go up in flames and he could feel the heat and saw as they got up and ran to the RV where Glenn slammed the door shut. Merle let out a yell and shot off, Daryl following behind him as they started back on the road, looking for a new palace to try to make their second chance at life. Rick reached over subconsciously and took Daryl's hand, he expected the Omega to pull away, but was surprised that Daryl's fingers curled around Rick's, giving the Alpha a new kind of strength.


	4. Chapter 4

The group had stopped again, they were short yet another and Andrea was pissed at Dale, causing tension in the group. Lori was still angry and Daryl seemed to be avoiding Rick, mostly staying around Merle. Rick looked around the abandoned cars, watching as everyone searched through him for clothes, food, water, and anything else they could think of. He watched as Carl and Sofia talked and played quietly and he turned to see a lone walker. He lifted his rifle and looked through the scope, his finger hesitated on the trigger when he saw another walker...and then another. He looked up at Dale. "Dale, what do you see?" He asked.

Dale lifted his binoculars and looked. "A lot of Walkers, we all need to hide."

Rick turned around and ran through the cars. "Everyone get under the cars." He said quietly before hurrying to get under one. He watched as Carol and Lori got under a car in front of him, Carl slid under the one next to Rick, fear aparent on the young Alpha's face and Rick made a motion for his son to be quiet. He saw Sofia get under the car in front of Carl and he could smell the Walkers getting closer. He didn't know where Daryl, T-Dog, or Merle were and that thought frightened him, but he reigned in the fear knowing that the Omega could take care of himself. The growls, groans and shuffling of the Walkers as they walked by set Rick's heart racing. He could smell the dead and the scent made him sick, and with the fear from the others around him he wanted nothing more than to make sure everyone was going to be safe. The grip on his gun tightened and he looked up into Lori's terrified face, he lifted his hand to his lips and he watches as she covers Carol's mouth while the other Beta wanted to cry out for her daughter. Soon the herd had passed and Rick made a move to start getting out from under the car...Then Sofia screamed.

Rick jumped out and he saw her scramble from under the car, two walkers after her. "Sofia!" He yelled as he chased after them.

"Rick!"

"Sofia!"

Lori and Carol screamed as they watched helpless as they disappeared into the trees. Daryl hopped up onto a car, bringing up his crossbow as he tried to aim for the walkers. "Shit." He cursed. "I gotta go after them." He started to hop down when Merle grabbed him.

"Ain't goin no where lil brother." He said, "Not without me."

Daryl nodded and he hopped the barrier with his brother and they both took off into the woods, Glenn and Shane hot on their heels while Lori tried to calm Carol down. "they'll find her...they'll find her." She whispered to the distraught Beta.

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Rick dipped around a tree and caught Sofia by the waist, drawing the girl close. "Shh...shh."

"Shoot 'em! God please shoot em." she begged, crying.

"No honney, we can't we'd draw the others back. Come on." He practically picked her up as they started to get closer and turned and ran to the river. He hopped down and tucked her away into a small alcove surrounded by mud and water. "You stay here, if you need to run back the way we came, keep the sun on your left shoulder you got me?" He saw her nod and he backed up, splashing water and yelling to catch the walkers attention. He ran off the opposite way, drawing them away from Sofia.

Sofia saw them disappear from view and she slowly slipped out of her hiding space and ran the opposite direction, whimpering as she went.

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"I left her right here." Rick sighed as he raked his fingers through his hair. "she must have taken off, I told her to keep the sun on her left shoulder."

"She's a scared kid Rick," Shane grumbled, "How much of what you said stuck?"

"Well seems like she understood, didn't she baby brother?" Merle snarked as he leaned against a tree and watched as Daryl began tracing some prints in the dirt.

"She went this way, looks like she started heading back to the highway." He got up and shifted his crossbow. "Gotta follow it ta be sure."

Rick nodded. "Glenn, Shane go on back to the group, tell them that we're looking for Sofia, keep everyone busy until then. Scavenge the cars, look for medicine, clothes, water, whatever."

"I'll think of a couple chores, keep em busy." Shane muttered. He motioned for Glenn to follow him and Rick let out a small breath of relief.

"Alpha tensions runnin high?" Merle chuckled, scratching his knife against the scruff on his chin.

Rick rolled his eyes. "I can control myself better than that."

"Ain't you 'm worried bout." Merle shrugged as he followed after Daryl. They walked in silence, until they found a Walker. Daryl took it down, quick and clean and Rick rolled it over and began to check it's teeth. "Whatter ya doing?" Merle asked.

"There's something in it's teeth...flesh." Rick said as he began to pull out his knife.

Daryl sighed as he pulled his knife out and knelt down, straddling the walker. "only one way to find out. 'Sides my knife's sharper." He said as he pulled on his gloves and plunged the knife into the Walker's belly and began to cut down. Rick gagged as the scent of ripe flesh sprung from the things belly and he covered his mouth and nose with the back of his hand, Merle laughed and shook his head. Daryl rolled his eyes at them. "Pussys." He muttered as he began to root around in it's belly. "Looks like Hoss here had a big meal." He chuckled as he pulled out it's stomach and dropped it to the side. he made another cut into the stomach and he pulled out a woodchuck skull. "Woodchuck, good eats."

Rick sighed and pulled off his glove to rub at his face. "At least we know." He said softly.

Daryl nodded as he stood up and put his knife back at his side. He got up and looked around. "Looks like her tracks went off the way the Walker came though."

Rick nodded. "Lets go." They followed the trail until sunset before finally heading back to the group. As they started to climb over the barrier and Carol made a beeline to them.

"You didn't find her." She said softly, her hand over her heart. "You didn't find her."

"We're gonna look again in the morning." Rick assured her.

"Is that blood?" She gasped as she caught sight of the blood on their shirts.

"Found a walker, it didn't get Sofia though." Daryl said softly.

"How can you be sure?"

"We cut it open." Rick said.

"Sumbitch only ate some damned woodchuck." Merle supplied.

"We cant leave her out there by herself." Carol pleaded with Rick, she reached out and took his arm in her hands. "She's only a baby....she can't be out there by herself."

"We can't track her anymore. Sofia's smart. She'll be alright until first light." Rick said soothingly as he stroked her arms. "We'll have someone on watch, keep an eye out for her if she comes back."

Carol glared at him and ripped away from his hands. "This is your fault! you left her alone!" She cried, storming off.

Rick sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "Shit."

Daryl watched as Rick seemed to crumple a little bit and he could smell the regret rolling off of him. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and sooth the hurt from the Alpha's face. He started to reach out when Merle put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head, his eyes darting to where Lori was watching them like a hawk. "Best not ta stir tha pot baby brother." Merle muttered.

Daryl sighed and then cursed his Omega nature. He wanted to be around Rick more and more, the man smelled like everything that was comforting to Daryl, the woods, fresh meat, a warm fire...and Daryl wanted nothing more than to bask in that scent. He shook his head as he followed his brother to where they were planning to set up their section of their makeshift camp that night.

Merle sighed as he saw the look on Daryls face and he reached out and took his shoulder in a gentle hand. "Daryl...I may not know what you're feelin, I I know we ain't gonna be talkin bout this shit a whole lot, but ya gotta let go brother. You know that Rick's gonna be a good man an stay with that little beta bitch. aint nothin we can do bout that. Ya still got them suppressants right?"

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, been takin 'em like you said Mer."

Merle patted his shoulder. "That's a good boy, now hunker down an get some sleep, we gotta help them look fer that lil girl in the mornin."

Daryl watched his brother for a moment. "Why you tryin so hard Merle? When we first found this group you said 'fuck em, we'll only help if asked.'"

Merle shrugged. "End o the world baby brother, figuring it's time ta make up fo what I did. Now shuddup and go tha fuck ta sleep." the elder Dixon grunted as he settled down to sleep.

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A full day of searching and they turned up nothing. Rick was ready to tear his hair out and he couldn't face the guilt when he saw the accusatory look in Carol's eyes. Lori tried to help him, to be calm and work with him, but after the CDC Rick felt a strain, their bond was a little fixed, he could feel her inside of his head now but it was like moving through water, it was all muddled up and hard to tell anything. At least she was looking at him again....instead of Shane. Shane was another problem, the man didn't say much but when he did he spoke down to him, seemed to try to make him forget about being calm and rational. Then of course there was Daryl, the man didn't say anything but stood stoically by Rick or Merle's side taking orders and offering suggestions as well as teaching them how to track like he could. The night trickled by and dawn came to the group. Rick had decided that everyone was going to go look, Dale and T-Dog staying behind just in case. They needed to cover more ground. The search went slowly, and they came across a tent. Daryl slipped ahead and turned around to look at Rick, who simply nodded.

"Carol, call out quietly, if she's in there the first voice she should hear is yours."

Carol nodded. "Sofia? Sofia sweetie...it's mommy." She called out softly.

Daryl moved to the tent, slowly unzipping it and gagging at the smell. "She aint here."

Merle sighed as he braced his hands on his hips and looked up at the sky through the trees. "We been huntin for her for days, ain't caught any sight or sign of a trail." He muttered, grunting slightly when Daryl threw a rock at his legs. He glared at the younger but kept his mouth shut.

They continued to walk, searching until the sound of a church bell drew them to a small church. Rick ran over and cut the power, the bells echoing into the distance. "Everyone look around first, then we'll see if she's inside." He watched as they all fanned out. With no walkers in sight they went into the church getting rid of the few that were in there. Still no sign of Sophia. Rick could see everyone loosing hope and he sighed as he sat down in a pew. He saw Carol doing the same, her hands clasped in front of her as she began to pray.

Outside of the church everyone was gathered. "Alright," Rick started, raking his fingers through his hair. "We're going to split up. Everyone is going to go back to the highway, fan out as much as possible maybe we missed something. Shane and I are going to continue on that way." He said pointing his finger to a stretch of woods.

"I'm going with you." Carl said as he stepped forward.

"Carl no-" Lori started.

"I'm going with them mom. Sofia is my friend I wanna find her." The young Alpha growled.

Rick laid his hand on Carl's shoulder and nodded. "Alright, Carl can come with us. he's with Shane and me, ain't nothing going to get her." He said, He looked to Daryl and Merle who nodded and began to pull the group back to the highway. They turned and walked, Rick keeping Carl slightly in front of them bu ready to yank the boy back at trouble. They walked quietly, Shane and Rick showing Carl a few plants and telling them a few things. Then they caught sight of a deer, Carl turned to look back at his dad and Shane, Rick nodded and watched in awe as Carl stepped closer to the deer. Then the shot came and Rick watched in slow motion as Carl was flung backwards. The world narrowed down to just that and Rick ran forward. "Carl!" He screamed.

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Lori jolted at the sound of a gun. "What was that? Do you think it was Rick?"

"Rick wouldn't fire his gun." Daryl muttered.

"We gotta go back." She insisted.

"No, Rick can handle himself. We gotta keep movin." Merle grunted.

They heard a scream and saw Andrea on the ground, scrambling to get away from a walker when the sound of hooves drew closer and the walker was knocked away by someone on horseback with a bat. The woman stopped her horse and looked at Lori. "You Lori?" She asked.

Lori nodded, stunned by the young woman. "Y-yes."

"Ya need to come with me. the rest of ya'll tell your group to head to the Greene farm, down the highway, ya can't miss the sign." She said as she pulled Lori up on the horse and she rode off again, leaving everyone stunned. The walker groaned as it lifted itself up and Daryl snorted. "Shut the fuck up." He growled, shooting it in the head.

~~::::~~::::~~::::~~:::~~:::~~:::~~:::~~:::

Rick and Lori sat in the room, watching Carl as he slept. Hershel walked back in and looked at them. "We need to make a decision. If I don't perform the surgery soon...he's going to die." He said.

Lori trembled as she turned her face into Rick's neck. Rick eyed up the old Alpha. "Please...they should be back soon."

"We can't wait much longer." He trailed off as they heard the roar of an old truck. Hershel turned to the women and nodded. "Get the boy ready, that should be them."

Lori and Rick ran out and saw just Shane getting out of the truck. "Did you get it?" Lori asked.

Shane nodded.

"And Otis?" Hershel asked.

"He didn't make it." Shane grunted as the bag was taken from him.

Hershel sighed. "No one say anything to Patricia. I need her." He growled as he walked back into the house.

Rick pulled Lori close and stroked her hair, "It's gonna be alright." He whispered to her. "It's gonna be alright." He prayed as he rocked his sobbing wife close, Shane looking on jealous that Rick was the one holding Lori.


	5. Chapter 5

A few days passed, everyone setting a few feet away from the house, and the old Alpha, Hershel Greene, agreed to let them stay for now as long as they didn't carry guns on his property. Rick had been able to negotiate that one of them could as well as Rick himself. They held a funeral for Otis, Shane telling his story but a few people could tell something wasn't right with it. From what Rick could tell there were now a total for four mature Alphas around, himself, Shane, Hershel, and Hershel's eldest daughter Maggie. The girl was tough as nails and had seemed to caught the eye of Glenn, they went on a few supply runs together and would always come back smelling like each other. Carl was healing, his life saved by Hershel, and the hunt for Sofia was going no where, even with maps and a clear course of action they couldn't find her.

Rick sighed as he scrubbed his hand over his face and looked at Carl sitting next to Glenn and talking with the Beta. His son was still pale...pale but alive, it seemed like there were no complications and he was glad that his son was going to live to see maturity. Lori was trying even more, never straying far from Rick or Carl, though Shane seemed to avoid Rick, staying off by himself or near Andrea. He had began to teach them how to shoot, Carl had asked if he could learn and Rick had said yes, saying that the boy needed to learn how to use guns not fear them. Rick had found himself wondering over to Merle and Daryl's little area a little ways away from the house and camp and he paused as he watched Daryl fashion bolts out of wood and Merle chew on a bit of hay while he cleaned his gun.

"Need something Officer Friendly?" Merle cracked as he squinted up at Rick.

Rick groaned as he crouched down. "Really wish you'd stop callin me that."

"Why? S'actly who ya are. Officer Friendly, makin nice wit whoever ya meet." He chuckled, his eyes holding mirth instead of malice. Somehow the three of them had formed an easy sort of friendship. Daryl stayed quiet most of the time, but Rick learned it was just because he didn't really care to say anything. Merle was a loud mouth but mostly hot air unless something threatened Daryl. They were self reliant and Rick knew he didn't need to keep an eye on them, that the brothers could watch out for themselves. Rick heard Daryl snort and he cut a glance at the Omega to see a small smirk crossing his thin lips. Rick narrowed his eyes and flicked a twig at the other, chuckling as he swatted it away.

"Back to my question, whatcha need?" Merle asked again.

"Nothing, just...started walkin found myself over here." Rick said with a shrug as he twirled another stick in his hands. He sighed and raked his fingers through his hair. "Just...keep wonderin when or if we're even gonna find Sofia."

Daryl sighed. "We're gonna find her, I'm headin out again on horseback, found a place that looks like she mightta been there." He said.

"You goin alone?" Rick asked.

"I track better by myself. I'll be fine." He muttered, he really just wanted to be away from everyone, he needed some time to think. Time without Rick's scent around him, Carol's depression and feeble hope for Sofia, Lori's hissing every time he stepped close to the Alpha or Carl, and then there was Shane. The Alpha just smelled wrong, he would watch Lori with longing, Rick with a barely concealed hate, and most of all when Shane thought no one was looking, he'd watch Daryl with a barely restrained hunger. Daryl knew Alphas like Shane, all his life, growing up as an Omega, one from a poor family that couldn't afford the suppressants and with a fucking crazy fucker for a father...Daryl had seen that look more than once. It was an Alpha intent on takin an Omega. Daryl stuck mostly with Merle or Rick...occasionally Carol but he was never alone around Shane. He made damned sure of it. Daryl didn't know if it was simply because he was an Omega or if it was because he was, more specifically, Rick's Omega. He had finally admitted to himself that he was Rick's. He knew and Rick knew it, course they didn't act like they knew it. They simply did as they did now, going on in this manner but Rick would always check on Daryl and Daryl's eyes would search for Rick.

Rick simply nodded. "I know you will be." He said softly. Rick wanted to reach out and touch the Omega, but he knew that wouldn't be welcomed. He wasnt invited to touch and Daryl didn't offer, so he kept his want in check. He was still married..even if his Omega was just a few feet away.

Merle stood up too. "I'm headin out on a run wit ol Shane. Says there's a decent sized town not to far from here, might even be some more medical supplies, food, clothes, hell might even be some booze, could use a drink." He laughed shaking his head.

Rick nodded. "Just be careful out there." He said giving Merle a thump on the shoulder. "I'm going to try to see if I can talk Hershel into letting us stay. He says he wants us out when we find Sofia...but I think we could really help him out...make a real home here."

"One big happy fuckin family." Merle laughed as he walked off to where Shane was standing, leaving Rick and Daryl by themselves, the one thing they tried to avoid.

Rick watched as Daryl strung his crossbow across his back and tucked a bandana into his back pocket. His heart ached to reach out to the Omega, but he knew that the touch would be unwelcomed. While Daryl didn't mind him being around he still flinched away from most touches from everyone, except his brother. The Omega still smelled like heaven and it just made everything harder, but Rick refused to be ruled by what he was. "You be careful out there." He said, his voice holding a bit of that Alpha tone in it.

Daryl shivered slightly at the tone, he loved when Rick's voice dropped like that. It only happened when the man was worried about someone, it was never used when he was giving orders. Daryl stepped closer to Rick and sighed as he looked at the man, they were nearly the same height, Rick may have been a little taller but that didnt matter. "I'm gonna be fine, always come back don't I?" Daryl reached out and touched Rick's arm lightly.

Rick looked down at his hand, his breath caught in his throat at the electric shock that went through him. "Daryl..."

Daryl sighed. "Maybe Merle and I should just pack our shit up an take off...this...it's gettin painful for ya Rick."

Rick's hands shot out and he grabbed the other bringing him in close. "No...don't leave...please...I can control it." He begged.

Daryl sighed and rested his forehead on Ricks. "I don't wanna leave...but ya tell me if it's gettin ta be to much..." His lips ghosted over Ricks before they ripped away from each other, their heads filled with the scent of the other.

Rick sighed softly as he watched the Omega. "Then don't leave, it's not gettin to be to much. I can handle it. I need you here." He said softly. "I'd just come lookin for you otherwise."

Daryl simply nodded. "Then I'll stay." He said as he turned and walked to the stable, waving over his shoulder as he went.

Rick sighed again as he kicked at a rock before turning around, he caught sight of Lori watching him and he sighed again. She was just there...always there watching him with Daryl and Merle. He didn't know how else to reassure her that he was there for her. Rick braced his hands on his hips as he looked up at the early morning sky. With any luck he'll be able to make this their new home and they could stop running.

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Merle sat in the truck that they were using for the run. He'd had a plan to talk to Shane, he wasn't likin how the Alpha was looking at his little brother. Merle knew that Daryl was Rick's Omega, hell seemed like everyone knew, they were just avoiding it because of Lori's temperament and Rick's code of honor. But just because an Omega was destined for an Alpha didn't mean another Alpha couldn't take said Omega by force. They got to the Walmart that was located in the center of the town. "Well shit, good ol Wal-mart, might be somethin good in there." He chuckled.

Shane rolled his eyes, he really didn't want to bring Merle with him but the Beta was fucking annoying...and persistent. "Good place for an ambush."

"Then I guess we gotta stick together yeah?" He said as they moved through the doors. They moved quietly in the walmart, taking out the few Walkers that were slumming around the place. They gathered up the few supplies they could, Merle breaking in behind the pharmacy counter to gather the supplies there as Shane gathered the few things on the shelves around them. As they went to the automotive section Merle paused as he looked at things for his bike. "You know there was a reason I wanted to come with you. I ain't appreciating tha way you're lookin at my baby brother." Merle said He saw Shane's shoulders tense and he smirked, _nail on the head_. "I know how ya Alpha's work, and the way you're workin is easy. Ya hate that Rick's got everythin'. He's got the girl, he's got the kid, and now he's got the Omega. And what's Shane got? Nothin."

Shane whipped around with a snarl, his gun out and pointing right at Merle. "You don't know what you're talking about you redneck piece of shit."

"Whoa there, ain't no need ta be pointin that at me. I'm just sayin, stay away from Daryl and we ain't gonna have a problem." Merle smirked. "Less you want me to tell Rick that you're tryin to move in on his Omega too."

Shane ran forward and slammed his fist into Merle's gut. "Just shut the fuck up. I'll take what I want. Lori is mine...Carl is mine...and Daryl...Daryl will be mine too because Rick is going to die."

Merle reared up and landed a solid punch into Shane's face, making the Alpha stagger back. "The fuck they are. Shit you can have Lori, she's just a used up bitch anyway. Daryl ain't ever gonna roll over for you, he thinks your scum man. Ain't no way he'd ever present for you. And Rick's the only one that's keep us together." He growled as he kicked Shane back into the shelves, making them clatter and clang.

"I was the one keeping us together! Rick is weak!" Shane yelled as he launched himself at Merle. They scuffled, running and falling into shelves until Shane had Merle pinned down by the hardware section. He slapped a pair of cuffs on the man and stepped back watching the Beta snarl.

"You let me out of these you son of a bitch. Whatter you gonna say to everyone?"

Shane smirked as he threw the key somewhere else. "You died to save me and the supplies."

"That lie ain't gonna work twice." Merle snarled.

"Ain't a lie, no one to disprove what I say." He said as he shouldered both of their bags and walked off, whistling as he went while he heard Merle yelling and shouting after him.

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Rick sighed as he walked around the camp, Daryl had been gone a while and Shane still wasn't back with Merle. Lori had gotten on Rick's ass about what she saw between him and Daryl, but he reassured her once again that nothing was going on. He sighed as he looked at the setting sun...then Andrea's yell of 'Walker' caught his attention. "Andrea no guns!" He yelled as he ran towards it. "T-Dog, Glenn let's go!" He yelled as they ran. As they got closer they saw that it was Daryl, covered in blood, mud, and drenched to the bone dragging his crossbow behind him. He squinted at Rick and smirked as he saw the Alpha holding his gun out.

"Ya know, I don't like guns being pointed at me unless they're gonna be shot." He grumbled causing Rick to let out a startled laugh.

Before Rick could say something he heard the sound of a gun going off and Rick watched in slow motion as Daryl was knocked back. "No! No!" He screamed as he ran forward and knelt at Daryl's side. "Daryl."

Daryl groaned as he lifted his hand to his head. "I was fuckin kiddin." He growled before he passed out.

"Help me get him to Hershel." Rick said as he slung one of Daryl's arms over his shoulders, T-Dog taking the other. Glenn walked with them.

"W-What the fuck happened to him? Are those ears? He's got fucking ears around his neck!"

Rick ripped the necklace off of Daryl and shoved it into his shirt. "We tell no one about this." He hissed. "C'mon Daryl, you can pull through this."

Glenn paused as he saw something and held it up. "Guys...isn't this Sofia's?" He asked as he held up a dirty doll.

Rick went cold as he continued to drag the unconscious Omega. An hour later Daryl was hissing and spitting at Hershel as the man stitched up his wound. Rick sat on the chair by the bed, a map in front of him and Daryl pointing out where he was and where he found the doll. "Shit! watch the hands." He hissed at Hershel as the man tugged on the thread to make sure it was tight.

"If I had known we'd be going through the anti-biotics so quickly-" Hershel muttered as he finished up. "You should rest for a few days at least, give yourself time to heal."

"Fuck that, we got a lead on Sofia, I ain't gonna lay round here."

"Daryl you've given us our biggest lead. You can take a few days-"

Daryl growled at him. "No-"

Hershel sighed as he cleaned his hands off. "While you two figure it out I'm going to check the horses. If you had bothered to ask I would have directed you to another horse, we call that one Nelly, as in Nervous Nelly." The old Alpha sighed tiredly as he left the room.

Rick watched the door close and he turned his eyes back to Daryl, taking in his beat up appearance. His head was bandaged, thankfully the bullet only grazed him, and his side was bandaged up. Rick reached out to trace his fingers along on his side. "I can't believe you fell into a ravine."

Daryl shivered as Rick's fingers grazed his side. "Rick-"

Rick ripped his hand away. "Fuck...Daryl I'm sorry-"

"I don't mind when you touch me...I just...dont want you to see." He said softly as he pulled the blanket higher over himself. Daryl looked up at him. "Why are we torturin ourselves like this Rick?" Daryl asked him softly.

Rick chuckled sadly. "Because we keep denying our biology." Rick sighed as he leaned forward, bracing his arms on his knees. "But...I can't just-"

Daryl groaned. "I know..I know Lori."

Rick nodded. "Carl would understand because he's an Alpha...but Beta's they don't understand." Rick sighed. "If only I met you years ago."

The door opened and Rick jumped away from Daryl when Carl ran in. "Dad! Shane's back...but Merle isn't with him!"

Rick's eyes went wide and he saw Daryl try to get up. "Daryl you can't-"

"The fuck I can't!" The Omega snarled as he struggled to get up. Rick sighed as he helped the other up and they went down the stairs where Shane was helping sorting out the things from the run. It was dark outside now and Shane was sporting one hell of a black eye. "Where's my brother shit-head?" Daryl growled at the Alpha.

"We got attacked." Shane said, "Merle stayed behind to take care of them."

Daryl's eyes narrowed. "Tha fuck he did, I know my brother and he'd rather leave you behind instead of staying behind himself."

Rick laid a hand on Daryl's chest, feeling how the Omega's heart was racing. "We'll go look for him. You get back in bed, I'll take-"

"I'm going with you." Daryl said.

"Daryl you aren't-"

"Tell me what I ain't one more time Rick and I swear to god I'm gonna kick your ass." He growled.

"Fine, we leave in the morning then. Take tonight to rest and we'll go find him."

Daryl growled as he ripped away from Rick and limped back to bed.

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The next morning Rick stood with his group. Daryl was leaning heavily on the car as he waited. "Alright, I'm taking T-dog and Daryl with me. Glenn and Andrea you keep searching for Sofia, follow the map in the way we marked out. Carl you stay and watch camp with Dale. We'll be back before sunset." He said as himself and the other two got into a car. He could feel the disapproving look from Lori but he ignored it as they drove to where Merle and Shane were the day before. They moved to the Walmart and dispatched the few walkers they saw there. T-dog moved into the store quietly to scout ahead and Rick looked at Daryl. "How you holdin up?"

"My side fuckin hurts." Daryl growled, the pain making him grouchy. "Let's just find my fuckin brother and get back."

Rick looked at one of the carts and smirked. "I could always-"

"finish that sentence and I'll rip your knot off." Daryl bristled at him.

Rick laughed softly as they followed T-dog. They moved silently, Daryl keeping up surprisingly well for having an arrow in his side the day before. They moved back to where Shane had said they were attacked and looked at the destruction. "Shit...looks like Shane was right." Rick muttered.

Daryl knelt down gingerly as T-dog started picking up a few things for Dale. "nah...there were only two people fightin here." He said. "Look at the scuff marks, and theres not nearly 'nough blood ta say that there was more than two men fightin."

Rick knelt by his side, trying to see what the younger Dixon was seeing, "And you're sure?"

Daryl nodded as he got back up, using Rick's shoulder as leverage. "Looks like the fight moved down this way." They followed the trail until the hardware department when Daryl finally saw it. "No! No!" He screamed before clutching at his side. There in the middle of the aisle was a severed hand, a pair of bloody handcuffs, a hacksaw, and alot of blood. "That son of a bitch lied to us!" Daryl growled as he glared at the cuffs. "those are police issue."

Rick knelt down and checked them out, feeling his blood run cold. "Yeah...and they're Shanes. I remember because he called them his lucky cuffs, he carved the number 22 into them...same number as his football days, necklace too. Always said 22 was Shane's number."

Daryl snarled. "Maybe I'll shoot him 22 times then."

T-dog looked around. "Um guys...it looks like Merle got up and walked away after cutting off his own hand."

They followed the blood to the camping section where they found two dead walkers and some little propane tanks that were set up and a bit of metal that T-dog picked up. "What is on it?"

"Flesh." Daryl muttered. "Fucker cauterized the wound then booked it the fuck outta here." He felt the tears prickle in his eyes and he angrily brushed them away. "Took off...maybe he's already back at the farm."

Rick nodded. "Maybe. C'mon lets gather what we can and get back." He said gently taking the omega's arm and leading them back to the car. They stopped when they saw some fresh blood on the pavement and more dead walkers. "How the fuck did we not notice that when we came in?"

"Cause we were to busy thinking we'd find Merle here." Rick said. "Looks like he got picked up by someone..."

"So he's lost." Daryl said softly.

"We'll find him...and we'll make Shane pay for what he's done." Rick promised.

"don't waste resources on Merle...fucker can take care of himself. Let's just find Sofia and kick Shane's ass." He said as he got into their car.

Rick sighed, he knew Daryl was hurting but he'd do whatever the Omega asked of him. He looked at T-dog who shrugged and got into the car with their supplies. Rick got in and drove them back to the Farm.

~~:::~~::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::

The next couple of days were a whirl-wind of shit. they tried to confront Shane but the man said that Merle tried to kill him and it was all in self-defense, Daryl didn't buy it for one second and growled and glared at anyone who came near him, even Rick. Glenn had discovered that the Greene's were keeping Walkers in the barn and had told everyone, Shane wanted to open up the barn and kill them all but Rick had told him that it was Hershel's farm and Rick was going to get to the bottom of it. Things were tense with the older Alpha during their talk, he honestly believed that they were just sick people and that if there was a cure they'd be better. Tensions were running high and Shane had set up someone watching the barn at all times, Daryl stayed at his own spot in camp only leaving to go hunting or to look for Sofia (but that search was going no where). After a few days Hershel had asked Rick to come with him and Jimmy, he lead them to the small muddy stream that ran the property where a couple of walkers were stuck. Hershel explained his theory and his thoughts on them and Rick tried to understand. The Older Alpha had him start to lead one of the walkers...when they got to the Farm...things were not good.

Shane was handing out guns and everyone was running to the Barn. Rick looked to Hershel and felt the anger rolling off of the older Alpha. "Whats your man doing with guns on my property?"

"I dont know." Rick said, hoping the Alpha could tell he wasn't lying. As they drew closer they could hear Shane yelling about how Hershel was keeping walkers in the Barn, using his rage to fuel people into action. "Shane! What the fuck do you think your doing?!" He yelled, causing everyone to turn around and look at them.

"I'm going to get rid of the Walkers in the barn! I ain't weak and gonna keep letting them stay down the lane from us! I'll keep us safe!" Shane screamed.

"They're people!" Hershel yelled. "Now step back son!"

"Could a person walk away from this?" He yelled as he shot the woman Walker that Hershel had several times in the chest. "Heart, lungs, gut, could a living person just walk away from that? No you have to shoot them like animals to get these nasty things down." He yelled before shooting her in the chest. He gave Rick a cold look before shooting the walker that Rick had. Then Shane ran to the barn.

"Shane no!" Rick yelled. He cursed as he turned to see Lori and Carl running up. "Keep Carl back." He yelled as he tried to run after Shane, but the man was to quick he'd already got rid of the chains and the doors were opening as several walkers were making their way out. Rick looked at Hershel to see the man on his knees with Maggie crying as Glenn lifted his gun. Rick snarled as he brought his gun up, helping the others kill the walkers as they made their way out of the barn. Once they were all dead a deathly silence filled the area, Shane was panting proud of himself for what he had just done. Rick was ready to pound on him when a sound caught their attention. A small shuffling and light growls. Everyone's eyes turned to the barn...and they saw Sofia making her way out of the barn. Her clothes were dirty and ragged, her hair unwashed and unkempt, and the bite mark on her neck was apparent. Rick's vision turned like a tunnel and he heard Carol cry out. He saw Sofia starting to walk to them and he raised his gun, shooting her in the head. He heard Carol scream and he turned to see Daryl holding tightly onto the woman as she tried to reach out for them. He saw the look in the Omega's eyes and knew his own mirrored the pain and loss that they both felt for finding Sofia this way...It was another part of their hope dying.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are...at the end of this long road....So glad to be done with this one so that I can move on to the Rickyl.

Rick knelt where they had buried Sofia. It had been a few days and now he was numb and growled at anyone who came near him. He had figured out that Lori was pregnant...and that there is a chance the baby isn't his. Lori had tried to kneel with him and hug him but he had flinched away from her, she smelt wrong to him now. Carl tried to say something but eventually just left, Shane was smart and stayed away going on another run this time with Andrea. Carol stayed away, grieving in her own way. Dale, Glenn, and T-Dog all were trying to make things better with the Greenes. Rick felt a presence and looked up to see Daryl sinking down by him. "Daryl?" He croaked, his throat dry and his voice hollow and empty. Thunder rolled over them and a light rain had started, but Daryl simply opened the umbrella he had brought with him and held it over them. He leaned into Rick and Rick simply accepted it. They didn't speak, just sat there as the rain soaked the ground around them and brought out the scent of the land around them. 

"You didn't fail her ya know." Daryl said quietly.

"She got bit...This whole time we were looking for her...she was here and she was dead." Rick whispered.

"Ain't your fault."

"I left her there-"

"She chose to run Rick, she tried to do what you told her to do but she couldn't. It ain't your fault, you tried to save her, to bring her back."

"Carol blames me."

"Shit Carol blames everyone, fuck she blamed me for not trying hard enough to bring her home even after I found her doll." Daryl sighed as he pressed himself closer to Rick, their scents started to co-mingle.

Rick took in the scent, letting it give him strength. "Lori's pregnant." He whispered.

"I know." Daryl sighed, pressing more into Rick's side.

"I don't know if it's mine....I can't...I can't look at her. I had to find the day after pills in our tent. She says she threw them up, but why would she try to hide this from me? She couldn't hide her and Shane from me but...I can't....what if the baby isn't mine? Can I still love it?"

"Course you can." Daryl said simply.

"How can you know that?" Rick asked him sharply.

"Because you're you. You have enough heart to let a stupid Redneck and his brother stay with your family."

"And which one are you?" Rick said with a small smile, causing Daryl to smile along with him. Rick sighed as his eyes traveled back to the tent he was supposed to share with Lori and Carl and his insides went cold. "I can't sleep in there anymore." He whispered.

Daryl sighed. "My tents got room...if...if you want." He said as a light blush crept over his cheeks.

Rick looked at him, "Daryl-"

"Rick...I think we need to stop dancing round this." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "We gotta...we can't keep denyin this Rick." Daryl made a motion between them. "We're no good to anyone if we can't function cause we're to worried bout the other. I ain't sayin we gotta mate or nothin but I think just acceptin what we are to each other'll help more than it'll hurt." Daryl looked him square in the eyes, sky blue on oceanic blue. "Tell me I'm wrong an we can forget this whole shit, but you know and I know that your bond with Lori is gone an there's somethin formin here weather we like it or not."

Rick watched the Omega for a few moments and he nodded gently. "You're right...you're my Omega Daryl....and I've known that since I first smelled you in that hospital. I was just...trying not to be ruled by being an Alpha...thought I was better than that. But I'm really not. I always want to be around you, my eyes are always looking for you." He leaned into Daryl and rested his forehead against the other gently. "You know you're the only one that I haven't growled at for trying to sit next to me out here."

Daryl snorted. "Why do you think they sent me. They knew I'd be able to get to ya and getcha outta the elements. Last thing we need is the Alpha getting sick." He chuckled and shook his head. "C'mon lets get what we need from your tent while Lori's busy at the house."

They started to get up when Glenn and Maggie ran down to them. "Have ya'll seen my dad?" she asked them.

"No." Rick said softly.

"Ain't seen him since breakfast this mornin."

Maggie tugged at her hair. "I can't find him...and...and something's wrong with Beth. She's not eating and just stares blankly at the ceiling. Please...I'm begging you go find him. He...he might be in town."

Rick nodded. "Alright...I'll go look."

"I'll go with you." Glenn offered.

Rick nodded again before he looked at Daryl. "Can you watch the camp?" He asked softly.

Daryl nodded. "You go find Hershel. I'll hold down the fort." Rick smiled softly at him, his first real smile in days and he rested his forehead against Daryl's again for a moment before he took off with Glenn. Daryl looked to see Maggie watching him with a barely restrained smile and he bristled. "What?" He growled at her.

The young Alpha chuckled. "Nothing, nothing. Just glad to see ya'll finally stop dancin round each other. it was gettin painful to watch." She said.

Daryl rolled his eyes at her. "'M gonna go an get Rick's stuff from his tent."

"He's moving into your tent?" She asked him.

Daryl nodded. "Says he can't sleep there...don't feel right. I don't blame him...wife goes and sleeps with his best friend, tries to hide a pregnancy...almost gets you and Glenn killed." Daryl shrugged. "Sides me an him tryin ta deny what we are...it's hurtin everyone an we all know that if I took off he'd just come after me."

Maggie nodded. "Well glad you two aren't being idiots about it." She laughed before she sighed again. "I better get back..."

Daryl nodded as he moved off to where Rick and Lori's tent was. He looked around and saw no one so he quietly slipped in, finding Rick's things easily because of the mans scent. He heard movement and went still as the tent flap opened. He turned slowly to see Carl standing there and he let out a quiet breath. "It's just you kid." He muttered.

"What are you doing?" The young Alpha asked.

"Your dad can't sleep in here anymore. Said it didn't feel right." Daryl looked at him. "Told him he could sleep in my tent."

Carl folded his arms over his chest. "You guys mated now?"

"Nah, jus....tryin to make it work. We gotta stop denyin what we are, an we both know I'm your dad's Omega." Daryl muttered, glaring at the smirk on Carl's face.

"Told ya so."

"Yeah yeah, shut it kid." Daryl grunted as he hefted up Rick's bag. "If your gonna be such a pain give me a hand." He said tossing another bag at Carl who just laughed at him. Daryl glared as he ruffled the boy's hair as they walked back to his tent.

~~:::::~~:::::~~:::::~~:::::~~:::::~~::::

Lori watched from the house and she felt the stab of jealousy. She saw Maggie walking in and she turned to the other woman. "What's Daryl doing with my husbands things?"

Maggie looked past her and arched an eyebrow. "Seems like he's moving them to his tent. Where Rick should be."

"Rick should be with me and Carl." Lori snapped.

Maggie glared at her. "Rick should be with his Omega. The more they fight it the more it hurts everyone."

"Rick is my husband."

Maggie rubbed her eyes. "You're just a Beta, you don't get it. Rick and Daryl need each other. You try to push Daryl out your going to lose Rick because he's gonna go after him." She folded her arms over her chest. "From what I hear you ain't got no one to blame but yourself. You broke the bond between you and Rick first. Hell I met plenty of Alphas when I was in college that had both a Beta and an Omega. The Beta they met in high school but then the Alpha found their Omega in college and they had both."

"Rick is mine." Lori snarled at her.

"Rick is his own man, Lori. You need to accept that what you had died with the old world. It's time to grow up." Maggie gave her a pitying look and walked back into the room where Beth was laying on the bed.

Lori turned back to the window and watched as Daryl and Carl knelt at Daryl's tent, putting Rick's things into the smaller area.

~~:::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::~~::::

Daryl and Carl sat at Daryl's tent, the young Alpha watching as Daryl put his fathers things into the tent. "So are you and my dad going to mate now?" Carl asked him.

Daryl reared back at the question and turned to Carl. "No! No, this is just....fuck I have no idea what it is." Daryl sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face. "I want it to be what it's supposed to be...but your dad...shit Carl he's a good man, better man than I am. From the day I caught your dad's scent....shit I knew I was screwed."

Carl watched him for a moment. "You aren't a bad guy Daryl. You aren't the one who broke up my mom and dad." the Alpha sighed. "Mom and Shane...they'd been talking alot before all this ya know? I would smell Shane over instead of my dad...and Shane...well he's always been jealous of him. Shane was lower in the department than my dad ya know? Everyone always talked about my dad and Shane, how my dad was the one keeping Shane in line. When I started school this yeah I got put into a special class, you know for Alphas. It was me and a couple other guys and a few girls. we were Alphas and we were taught what we are, what we are supposed to do. What roles Alphas played. What we were to Betas and what Omegas were to us. Sometimes before class me and a couple other Alphas would talk about what we would do if we ever found our Omega...some of them said theyd hide them from the world, keep them safe."

"And what would you do?" Daryl asked softly.

"I'd do what my dad told me I should do. Ask them what they wanted. He always said he'd let the Omega tell him what he wanted." Carl looked at Daryl. "Is that what my dad did? Ask you what you wanted?"

Daryl chuckled. "Didn't give him a chance, told 'im what I wanted. Told 'im I wanted him here."

Carl nodded. "Then my dad's doin right by you."

"He's doin right by all of us."

~~:::~~:::~~::::~~:::~~::::~~::::~~:::

Rick, Hershel, and Glenn all sat in the car, the kid in the back moaning around the gag and thankfully blindfolded. They had run into trouble and it was well after dark when they got back. "You can stay." Hershel said softly. "You and your people. but you had better keep an eye on that Alpha...Shane. I ain't gonna have trouble on my farm."

Rick looked over at the old Alpha with surprise. "T-Thank you."

"The Only thing I gotta ask, your wife gonna be any trouble? I see how ya are with that Omega, I ain't one to stand in the way-"

"The bond between my wife and I is broken." Rick sighed softly as he stopped at a stop sign. "I tried to fix it...but with Daryl around I can't keep denying what we are. I tried because I didnt want to be ruled by what we are...but-"

"It's inevitable. You're a lucky man Rick...you found your Omega. I was lucky...got graced by two wifes and I now have my wonderful girls. Don't take it for granted son." Hershel said as he got out of the car once they reached the farm.

Rick and Glenn quietly put the kid in the shed before going their opposite ways, Glenn to the house to check in with Maggie while Rick went to the camp to talk with everyone. He saw Lori's glacial glare as Carl ran up to him and hugged him. Before he could say anything Carl spoke up. "We moved your stuff to Daryl's tent...Mom's not happy about it but everyones tried to explain it to her. We gave up a couple of hours ago."

Rick blinked down at him. "So..."

"Daryl's waiting for you, he's been waiting for you. He went huntin too, brought back a deer." Carl pushed him in the direction of Daryl's tent. "Go dad...I'll take care of mom."

Rick smiled softly at his son and ruffled his hair. "Thanks." Rick turned and quickly walked to where he saw Daryl sitting by a small fire. He slowly sank down by the Omega and pressed into his side gently. "Smells good." He said, his voice low as if he were telling the other man secrets.

Daryl gave him a side long glance. "Used to work as a bar cook a couple of years back. found some herbs in the forest figured they'd make for good seasonin." He said softly. "You were late gettin back, expected you hours ago."

"Um...yeah...ran into some trouble." Rick said pulling away.

"Walkers?"

"Not till later. Couple of guys showed up talking about Nebraska...then they started wanting to know about here." Rick rubbed his face. "I killed them Daryl...I...they...the thought of them being able to come here...of being around you or Carl...I couldn't risk it. I killed them to keep you safe. I just gunned them down." He mumbled from behind his hands.

Daryl watched him as he could smell the regret rolling off of him. He reached out and saw Rick flinch away from his touch, but he pulled Rick's hand away from his face and tugged him closer so that their foreheads rested against each other. It was a soothing gesture and one that let their scents start to co-mingle. "It's ok Rick. I get it...I woulda done the same thing, ain't gonna let anythin come here and take what we got." He watched as the tension deflated from the Alpha instantly and he couldn't help but smile. He'd never seen anyone do that to the Alpha and took pride in it that he could. He pulled back reluctantly and put a plate of deer in Rick's lap. "Eat."

Rick rolled his eyes but couldn't help the smile on his lips. "Thank you, dear."

Daryl's eye twitched as he thumped the Alpha on the shoulder. "So...Carl told you we moved your stuff over here?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah...thanks for that but I could have-"

"I wanted to do it...saw Lori watching me do it out of the window of the house. I want her to know that you and her were done. I may be Daryl to you, but to her I'm an Omega and you are my Alpha. I was staking my claim." Daryl said with a shrug as he licked some of the deer juice from his finger.

Rick watched the movement, his mouth suddenly bone dry and his cock hard in his pants. "Fuck." He groaned letting his head fall to thump on his knee. "You are going to kill me."

"Nah." Daryl laughed softly.

"No, seriously you are. I want to fucking kiss you right now."

"And what's stopping you?" Daryl taunted him.

Rick growled as he reached up, grabbing a fist full of Daryl's vest and yanking him forward and into a hard kiss. They broke apart when they heard people cat calling them from the other side of camp, both men blushing hotly and Daryl throwing up the bird at everyone earning even more laughs. "That's what was stopping me before."

Daryl snorted. "Fuck 'em."

Rick laughed softly and shook his head before yawning. "Shit."

"Go to bed after you've eaten, Ive got first watch with T-Dog." He said, as he started to get up.

Rick caught his hand and brushed a kiss to the inside of Daryl's wrist before letting the man go. Rick watched him go and sighed, he felt a warmth that he hadn't felt in a very long time and it made him happy to know that he had finally found his Omega.

~~:::~~::::~~::::~~:::~~:::~~:::~~:::~~:::~~:::

Two weeks...that's all it took for their world to go to hell. The kid they had brought back proved to be a bad idea. After Daryl worked him over he told them all about the group he was with and when Rick and Shane went to take him somewhere to cut him lose he said he had known Maggie. He knew where the farm was, who the Greenes were, and he could lead his group right to him. Then Shane said something that pissed Rick off, triggering the Alpha rage he rarely tapped into. They had beat into each other...then Shane smashed a window of a place filled with Walkers. They barely made it back, and Rick had to keep Daryl from killing the other Alpha. 

No one knew what to do with the kid, Randall, anymore. Everyone was scared of what his group could do if they found them, Dale didn't want to kill him and Rick was to soft hearted to let it happen. Then Dale was killed, not by a walker (though the walker sealed his fate) but by Daryl who took Rick's gun to put the poor man out of his misery. Rick tried to pull the group together but Shane...Shane was a problem. Then Randall seemed to have given them all the slip, but that wasn't the case either. Shane had led Glenn, Daryl, and Rick all out on a wild goosechase. Rick still felt stupid for falling for it, when the lie was evident in the other mans scent.

_Rick stood with his back to the other Alpha, one he called brother on more occasions than one. "So, you gonna do it here then?" Rick asked him softly._

_"Do what?" Shane tried to fake ignorance, his hand going to his gun._

_"I know exactly why you brought me here. You're going to have to kill an unarmed man." Rick said as he let his gun fall onto the ground with a soft thud. He lifted his hands and turned to face the man he had called friend over the years. "Is that what our years of friendship has come to? Because of Lori?"_

_"Ain't about her, you've always been Rick Grimes: Best Alpha in town. I've always been in your shadow. I was shinin in this world until you came back." Shane snapped. "I was teaching Carl how to be strong. He's weak because of you. He's going to be a weak Alpha too, ain't worth shit if you're still around."_

_Rick saw red as he launched himself at the other Alpha_ , _he smelled the blood before he saw it. His knife buried into Shane's chest as the other Alpha tried to breath. Rick punctured a lung and he saw the blood on Shane's mouth._ _Rick pulled the knife out with a shaking hand and scrambled for his gun, intending to put the other Alpha down for good, but he looked at his friend, a man he shared everything with over the course of half a life time, and he felt his heart breaking. Then he heard Carl, he had quickly gotten up, wanting to explain everything and he saw his son raise his gun. "Carl." He croaked. "Let me explain." Then the shot ran out and Rick turned to see a zombified Shane falling to the ground._

Rick shook himself from the memory as he looked around the group, everyone was watching him with a hint of distrust in their eyes. Everyone but Daryl of course, somehow the Omega still stood by him. He had told them he had killed Shane, explained what Jenner had told him, and he was looking at them now. They were scared, they had no shelter, no food, and nothing to keep themselves from attack. He felt the anger in him again, especially when he looked at how Lori was clutching at Carl and looking at him like he was pure evil. "I killed my best friend for you people." He growled. "I have done everything to keep you all safe. I tried to get us all out of there by lighting that barn on fire. From now on, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep you safe, doing what I have to do. This is no longer a democracy." He growled as he walked away to take watch. He heard nearly silent footsteps and looked to see Daryl step up to his side. "You gonna blame me for everything too?"

"Nah, didn't feel like listenin to Lori bitch about Shane anymore." The Omega leaned into him. "I've done shit in my life too Rick, ain't gonna fault ya for what ya had to do." Daryl shrugged.

"Daryl." Rick sighed, leaning back into the Omega. "thank you." He whispered as he let his forehead rest on Daryl's shoulder, before he straightened up and they continued their watch.

~~:::TBC:::~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is...that's the end. We will see you in Story 2! 
> 
> Until then my Freaky little Darlings! *MWAH*

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Little Piece of Heaven in a Hellish World](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12743313) by [TvFangirlAddict](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TvFangirlAddict/pseuds/TvFangirlAddict)




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